New Delhi, Jan. 15 -- For all the effort Washington made to cut China's exports to size, it has not altered the Asian manufacturing powerhouse's basic economic orientation, as its latest trade figures show. Official data released on Wednesday reveal a record trade surplus posted by China in 2025. At $1.2 trillion, its excess of exports over imports is the highest any country has ever recorded.

This, despite US President Donald Trump's tariff offensive. While Beijing's tit-for-tat response got him to back off somewhat, US trade barriers still stand higher than they were earlier. This has led to a fall in Chinese exports to the US.

But Beijing has been able to make up for them through increased exports to other markets, particularly in So...