By George Glover

President Donald Trump's tariffs on China are already reshaping global trade, data published on Friday showed.

China's exports to the U.S. plummeted 21% in April, according to figures from China's General Administration of Customs.

That might sound like bad news for the world's second-largest economy, which is already faltering due to sluggish inflation and a long-running property-market crisis. But the data showed that China has thus far been able to weather U.S. tariffs by sending more of its goods elsewhere.

Exports were up 8.1% from a year ago overall, as shipments to Southeast Asia surged 21%. Exports to the European Union were up 8.3%, shipments to Latin America rose 17%, and exports to Africa jumped 25%.

Still, the data is a sign of how Trump's levies are already upending the global economy. The President has jacked tariffs on Chinese goods up to 145% over the past few months, igniting a trade war between the world's two largest economies. U.S. and Chinese officials are set to meet in Switzerland this weekend, and Trump has promised that the talks will be "very substantive."

iPhone maker Apple, retail chain Walmart, electric vehicle maker Tesla, and sportswear company Nike are among the blue-chip U.S. companies that import goods from China. Their costs could spike if Washington and Beijing aren't able to broker a deal to slash tariffs.

Write to George Glover at george.glover@dowjones.com

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

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May 09, 2025 05:16 ET (09:16 GMT)

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