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<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nChina\u2019s trade stepped up pace in April, with exports surging well beyond expectations even as the Iran war and elevated US tariffs continued to cast uncertainty over global markets.Official data released on Saturday showed Chinese exports climbed 14.1% compared with a year earlier, a substantial jump from March\u2019s 2.5% rise and a performance that outpaced analyst forecasts. Imports also posted strong gains, increasing 25.3%, although that was slightly below the 27.8% growth recorded the previous month.<\/p>\n Watch<\/span><\/p>\n China Rejects U.S. Calls to Pressure Iran Over Strait of Hormuz Blockade<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The stronger trade figures arrive just days before US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing next week, at a time when diplomatic priorities are increasingly shaped by efforts to end the Iran war.The summit comes amid broader tensions between Washington and Beijing, where longstanding disputes over trade restrictions, rare earth controls and US curbs on Chinese technology are expected to remain under discussion.\u201cWe\u2019re expecting that overall external demand will remain a solid driver of growth this year,\u201d said Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at Dutch bank ING, likely led by China\u2019s exports of semiconductors and autos.China\u2019s export sector has continued to underpin its wider economy, particularly as shipments to Europe, Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa expanded over recent months. In March, Beijing set its annual economic growth goal at 4.5% to 5%, below last year\u2019s 5% pace and its most modest target since 1991.Although sweeping changes on export controls are not anticipated from the Trump-Xi meeting, HSBC economists said in a recent research note that the talks could still yield \u201cincremental\u201d measures aimed at easing trade tensions.\u201cOn balance, China looks to have more leverage,\u201d wrote Leah Fahy, senior China economist of Capital Economics, in a note. \u201cBut higher tariffs haven\u2019t stopped China\u2019s exports from continuing to surge over the past year, and Beijing has showed that it is prepared to wait out US pressure.\u201dThe Iran war is also creating economic pressures for China by lifting oil and fuel prices, increasing manufacturing and logistics costs for its industrial base, according to Wei Li, head of multi-asset investments at BNP Paribas Securities (China). Rising inflation globally could also reduce spending power in China\u2019s foreign consumer markets.So far, the country has weathered these pressures better than many economies, helped by sizeable oil reserves and a more varied energy supply network.<\/div>\n