China’s green exports to the US surge as AI boom, Iran war lift demand

China’s exports of green-energy and battery products to the United States have accelerated amid demand in America’s fast-expanding AI sector, as cooling trade tensions and energy-security fears linked to the Iran war boost global appetite for renewable-energy equipment.

Energy-related products posted some of the strongest gains among Chinese exports to the US last month, according to the latest customs data. Exports of unassembled photovoltaic cells surged 346 per cent year on year to US$39.96 million, while shipment volumes jumped 357 per cent.

Lithium-ion batteries, which ranked among China’s top five export products to the US, also posted solid growth. Export value rose 20.8 per cent from a year earlier to US$780 million, with shipment volumes expanding at a similar pace.

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Lead-acid batteries also climbed sharply. Export value increased 151 per cent year on year to US$6.72 million, while shipment volumes rose 253 per cent.

Released on Saturday, the data comes after May’s summit between President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump – the first visit by a sitting American president in nearly nine years – which marked a thaw in bilateral ties and laid the groundwork for renewed economic engagement. It also comes against the backdrop of rising energy-security concerns after months of disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, which handled about one-fifth of global oil flows before the US-Israeli war on Iran erupted in late February.

Xinyi Shen, senior adviser at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), said May’s export performance reflected both the short-term impact of easing trade tensions and underlying demand in the US energy system.

“On the one hand, uncertainty surrounding China-US trade policy remains, prompting some companies and buyers to bring forward shipments or replenish inventories,” Shen said.

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