(MENAFN) China’s exports dropped in October for the first time since March 2024, weighed down by mounting uncertainty over tariffs with the United States and broader economic strains, official data showed Friday.

Exports declined 1.1% year-on-year to $305.3 billion, according to China’s General Administration of Customs. Imports, by contrast, edged up 1% to $215.2 billion, leaving a trade surplus of $90.07 billion for the month.

The decline follows a surge in September, when exports soared 8.3% and imports rose 7.4%, fueled by pre-orders amid fears that US-China tariff negotiations might collapse.

Exports to the US continued their steep downturn in October, plunging 25.2% from a year earlier. The slide extends a series of sharp monthly drops, including 21.7% in July, 33.1% in August, and 27% in September.

Tensions escalated in October after Beijing introduced new restrictions on the export of rare earth elements—a sector where China dominates global supply. In response, US President Donald Trump announced Washington would impose an additional 100% tariff on Chinese goods beginning Nov. 1 and halt all exports of critical software to China.

While a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Oct. 30 in Busan, South Korea, briefly eased tensions with positive public statements, both sides postponed decisions on the key economic issues at the heart of the dispute.

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