China's exports rise to just under 19% of global goods as 'China Shock 2.0' gathers pace, Sydney Morning Herald says

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that China’s share of world goods export volumes has climbed to just short of 19%, a rise its coverage dubs 'China Shock 2.0.' That level marks a renewed and sizeable expansion after an earlier climb from just over 9% in 2010 to nearly 13% by 2018, a plateau in late 2021, and the recent surge the Herald documents. The paper says that in dollar terms China’s exports to the rest of the world rose by about 25% over the last year. The Herald attributes the label 'China Shock 2.0' to the scale and speed of the rebound. It notes that the second round of tariffs introduced by President Trump after he returned to the presidency in January 2025 had almost no effect on the overall upward trajectory of China’s global export share, although the article says those tariffs did alter trade flows between China and the United States. The Herald places the renewed export strength alongside domestic trends it reports: heavy investment, soft consumer income growth and a weak housing market. According to the Herald’s reporting, China invests roughly 40% of its GDP, a figure the article describes as large by Western standards. The piece also says consumer real-income growth has faded and that house prices have fallen by about 20%, framing a contrast between robust external demand for goods and softer domestic demand indicators. The Herald traces the longer sweep of China’s export rise: rapid expansion through the 2010s, a pause around 2021, and the recent acceleration to near 19% of world goods exports. The article emphasises the apparent resilience of China’s export position even after U.S. tariff action in 2025, and quantifies the recent year-on-year dollar rise in exports to markets beyond the United States. The Herald’s account links the export surge to China’s economic structure in broad terms, noting high investment as a structural feature, while also reporting weaker domestic consumption and a marked decline in housing prices. The paper does not present independent verification of every figure it cites but sets out these numbers as its central reporting on the phenomenon it calls 'China Shock 2.0.'

Other headlines in the pack indicate related trade movements — for example, the South China Morning Post’s headline on Brazil’s oil sales — but the Herald’s article supplies the specific figures and the 'China Shock 2.0' framing that form the basis of this account.