China’s economy grows 5% in 2025, buoyed by strong exports despite Trump’s tariffs

HONG KONG (AP) — China’s economy expanded at a 5% annual pace in 2025, buoyed by strong exports despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

However, growth slowed to a 4.5% rate in the last quarter of the year, the government said Monday. That was the slowest quarterly growth since late 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic. The economy, the world’s second largest, grew at a 4.8% annual pace in the previous quarter.

China’s leaders have been trying to spur faster growth after a...