China's exports surged in the first two months of this year despite trade tensions with the US.

Official figures show exports jumped by more than 20% in January and February, which is almost three times the rate predicted by economists. It puts the country on track to top the record-breaking annual trade surplus it saw in 2025.

The announcement comes as US President Donald Trump is expected to visit China in early April to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

The world's second largest economy is heavily reliant on exports as it faces a number of issues including weak consumer spending, a shrinking population and a property market crisis.

Beijing typically combines January and February trade data to adjust for distortions caused by the Lunar New Year holiday, which falls on different dates each year.

China's exports were boosted by strong demand for electronics while shipments of agricultural and manufactured goods also rose.

Trade with European countries grew by 27.8%, while exports to Asean countries - a group of South East Asian nations including Thailand, Singapore and Philippines - climbed by nearly 30%.

But China's exports to America fell more than 10% as Trump imposed tariffs and other measures to address trade imbalances between the two countries.

Last week, China set an annual economic growth target of 4.5%-5%, down from its 5% goal in 2025, which had been met largely due to exports.

Exports have been the key driver of China's economy, lifting it in spite of poor domestic spending and a property slump.

The meeting between Trump and Xi come as China, like many country's in Asia, is dealing with the economic impact of the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has disrupted the global energy market.

Conflict has spread across the Middle East since the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on 28 February.

The war's price, measured in damage to the economy and in political costs to Trump, is still coming into view.

A law that could threaten the rights of minority groups is a sign of the direction Xi is taking China.

At his press briefing, the US president claimed the operation was a "tremendous success", but added that he wants to ensure Iran cannot develop nuclear weaponry.

The artificial intelligence company has been in a public fight with US government leaders over use of its tools like Claude