China’s exports surge 6.6% in December as US shipments plummet 30%

China’s exports to the US tanked 30 percent year-on-year to $34.2 billion (€29.4bn) in December, according to data from the country’s General Administration of Customs released Jan. 14. The decline marked the ninth consecutive monthly drop since the US imposed additional tariffs in April and represented the second-steepest annual plunge after August’s 33.1 percent crash. 

For the full year 2025, outbound shipments to the US totaled $420 billion (€361bn)—a 20 percent decline from 2024. Yet China’s overall export performance remained robust. Global exports increased 5.5 percent to $3.77 trillion (€3.24tn) for the year, with December alone seeing a 6.6 percent jump to $357.8 billion (€307bn), far exceeding economists’ forecasts of 3 percent growth.

The divergent trends underscore China’s aggressive diversification strategy as sporting goods brands, textile manufacturers and footwear suppliers scramble to navigate the US-China trade tensions.

ASEAN and Europe absorb surplus capacity

Exports to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rose 11.1 percent in December to $66.4 billion (€57bn), while European Union-bound shipments jumped 11.6 percent to $51.9 billion (€44.6bn). For the full year, Vietnam emerged as a major beneficiary, with Chinese exports surging 22.4 percent to $198.1 billion (€170bn), while Thailand saw a 20.3 percent increase to $103.5 billion (€88.9bn).

“Trade partners are more diversified, and the ability to resist risks has significantly increased,” said Wang Jun, vice minister at China’s customs administration, during a Jan. 15 press briefing.

As India and China seek to improve ties, India imported 22.1 percent more goods than it did the year prior, taking in $12.8 billion (€11bn) for the month of December. Latin American countries also saw near-double-digit spikes in goods from China, at 9.8 percent to $25.7 billion (€22.1bn) in December.

African markets recorded the largest annual increase in imported goods from China at 25.8 percent, with total exports to the continent reaching $225 billion (€193bn) for the year.

Textile and apparel sectors face headwinds

While overall Chinese exports remained resilient, the textile and apparel sector—a critical component of the sporting goods supply chain—felt significant pressure from US tariffs.

Apparel exports reached $85.26 billion (€73.2bn) in 2024, representing 2.4 percent of total exports, according to UN Comtrade data. The US remained the largest market at $50.96 billion (€43.8bn) despite a 9.1 percent increase, but Chinese textile companies faced tariffs reaching up to 114 percent on high-end items like cashmere jerseys and 129 percent on specialized apparel at their peak.

The average US tariff on Chinese goods currently sits at 47 percent following an October deal between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, down from a peak of 104 percent earlier in 2025.

Sports footwear, gymnastics and track equipment, and ball sports supplies represent the primary categories within China’s sporting goods exports. In 2015, China exported $4.601 billion (€3.95bn) worth of sports footwear to non-Belt and Road countries, with gymnastics equipment recording cumulative export value of $5.238 billion (€4.5bn) through 2019.

Ports handle record volumes despite US slowdown

The overflow of goods leaving China reflected in port data from the country’s two largest seaports. The Port of Shanghai saw throughput of 55.1 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) throughout 2025, a 6.9 percent increase from the prior year.

The Port of Ningbo-Zhoushan handled more than 43 million TEUs across 2025, a 9.4 percent increase over 2024, amounting to more than 1.4 billion metric tons of cargo.

Meanwhile, US ports experienced declining inbound cargo volume from China. According to the US National Retail Federation’s Global Port Tracker, inbound cargo volume was projected to decrease 6.6 percent year-over-year in December to 1.99 million TEUs.

Transshipment concerns mount

Vietnam’s exports to the US increased 28.1 percent to $153.1 billion (€131bn) across 2025 as the country took on a larger role as an American trade partner. However, the country has faced allegations of serving as a transshipment hub for Chinese exporters seeking to skirt US tariffs by relabeling products as Vietnamese-made before shipping them to America.

Industry observers note that the surge in Chinese exports to Vietnam—particularly the 20.5 percent jump to $18.9 billion (€16.2bn) in December alone—raises questions about the final destination of these goods.

Outlook for sporting goods suppliers

For sporting goods brands and suppliers, the data signals both opportunity and complexity. While the US market remains constrained by tariffs, rapid growth in ASEAN, European and emerging markets offers alternative channels. Chinese textile and apparel companies continue diversifying into these markets while improving quality standards to maintain competitiveness.

The trade dynamics have accelerated nearshoring and China-plus-one strategies across the industry, with Vietnam, Bangladesh and other Asian manufacturing hubs capturing increased orders from Western buyers seeking to de-risk supply chains.