China posts record trade surplus in Dec and 2021 on robust exports

Trucks are seen at the Ningbo Zhoushan port in Zhejiang province. — Reuters

BEIJING: China posted a record trade surplus in December and in 2021, as exports outperformed expectations during a global pandemic, but some analysts pointed to a slowdown in international shipments in the coming months.

The trade surplus hit $676.43 billion in 2021, the highest since records started in 1950, up from $523.99 bln in 2020, according to data from the statistics bureau.