In China’s most recent trade data, there was one standout performer — and you don’t need to be a doctor to guess what it was.
The country’s exports of medical equipment in the first seven months of the year were worth Rmb73.3bn ($10.7bn), compared with Rmb48.1bn over the same period last year, according to official customs data.
In July, overall exports surprised expectations to jump 7.2 per cent year on year in dollar terms, boosted not only by medical equipment but also stay-at-home products such as computers. In a peculiar twist, the same pandemic that initially ground trade to a halt now appeared to be helping the country’s export economy.