U.S. Tariffs Hit China’s Exports; Pressure Rises in Southeast Asia

China ran goods surpluses with Southeast Asian major economies in January to September 2025; Vietnam’s Deficit at $84.79 Billion.
File image of cargo containers stacked at Yantian port in Shenzhen in China's southern Guangdong province. STR / AFP

China’s exports to the United States fell 25% between April and August 2025, about $57 billion, yet shipments redirected to Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe helped offset the hit, a recent UNDP study finds.

Southeast Asia took the most significant share in the China export redirection after U.S. tariffs. Exports into the bloc rose about 20% in April and stayed in the mid-teens through August, turning Southeast Asia into the main outlet for goods no longer headed to the U.S. Vietnam is taking the most brutal hit.

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by Edwin Shri Bimo

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