China is shipping more goods to Southeast Asia and other regions that often re-export them to the United States. China still sells three times as much to the United States as it buys.

China has reported its exports surged 7.2% in July from a year earlier while its imports grew at the fastest pace in a year, as businesses rushed to take advantage of a truce in President Donald Trump's trade war with Beijing.

Even in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Chinese exports have continued to expand as it has shifted its exports away from the United States to elsewhere, particularly Southeast Asia. The evidence suggests that international trade continues to expand but is increasingly bypassing the United States.