Investing.com -- China's export growth exceeded expectations for the sixth time in seven months, with July exports rising 23.9% year-over-year, according to Barclays analysis of recent trade data. The figure topped the 23.0% Bloomberg consensus estimate.

The strong performance occurred despite typhoon-related disruptions at major ports and followed robust export numbers in June. China's trade surplus widened to $113 billion in July, with Barclays projecting the country's total trade surplus will exceed $1.2 trillion in 2026, setting a new record.

AI-related products, which represent approximately 25% of total exports, and green technology goods, accounting for about 15% of exports, drove the July gains. Together, these categories made up roughly 40% of China's total exports.

Semiconductor exports posted growth exceeding 110% year-over-year for three consecutive months. Shipments of servers and other automatic data processing equipment increased 67% year-over-year in July, reaching a new record high.

The data showed a split in export performance across sectors. While high-tech exports remained strong, low-tech and labor-intensive sectors, which represented about 14% of total exports in the first half of 2026, continued to underperform. Exports of textiles, footwear, and toys either stagnated or contracted year to date.

Barclays noted that weakness in labor-intensive sectors suggests continued pressure on China's labor market, despite strong overall export growth driven by capital-intensive and high-tech industries.