Trade & Exports

US-China trade friction continues at a low boil, with new AD/CVD investigations initiated on choline salts from China ([4], [1]). Meanwhile, the EU is upgrading trade restrictions on Chinese new energy vehicles, advanced manufacturing, and cross-border e-commerce to protect domestic industries ([9]), signaling a broadening of Western trade pressure beyond the US. Existing US actions on steel cylinders, tires, and air compressors remain in place ([7], [6], [11], [12]).

China is actively diversifying trade routes. Vice Premier He Lifeng called for accelerating the Inner Mongolia Pilot Free Trade Zone as a gateway for opening to the north ([13]). SAFE data shows H1 2026 foreign-related receipts and payments hit a record high ([14]), suggesting resilient trade volumes despite increasing Western protectionism. The combination of EU and US trade actions increases pressure on Chinese industrial exports, but Beijing's push for new corridors and robust export momentum may partially offset the impact.