India’s trade with China witnessed strong growth in April 2026, with exports rising by 27% year-on-year, according to official government data released on Friday.
India’s exports to China increased to USD 1.77 billion in April 2026 compared to USD 1.39 billion during the same period last year. Imports from China also recorded significant growth, climbing 20.85% to USD 11.97 billion from USD 9.90 billion in April 2025.
The widening gap between imports and exports pushed India’s trade deficit with China to USD 10.2 billion in April 2026, up from USD 8.51 billion in the corresponding month last year.
The latest figures come as China overtook the United States to become India’s largest trading partner in 2025-26. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached USD 151.1 billion during the financial year, while India’s trade deficit with Beijing expanded to USD 112.16 billion.
The United States had remained India’s largest trading partner for the previous four consecutive years until 2024-25.
India’s exports to the US also registered modest growth during April, rising 1.14% to USD 8.47 billion. Imports from America, however, declined 4.67% year-on-year to USD 5.27 billion.
The government data also showed strong export growth to several countries including Singapore, Tanzania, Malaysia, Vietnam, Australia, and Bangladesh, helping India achieve a five-month high export growth rate of 13.48% in April.
Exports to Singapore surged by 179.18% to USD 3.19 billion, while shipments to Tanzania increased by 157.63% to USD 1.29 billion. Exports to Sri Lanka also saw a sharp rise of 214.65% to USD 1.02 billion.
On the import side, India recorded higher inbound shipments from countries such as Russia, Japan, Germany, Indonesia, and Thailand.
Imports from Oman jumped by 246.42% to USD 1.48 billion, while imports from Peru surged by 315.56% to USD 1.26 billion. India also witnessed imports from Taiwan, Brazil and Nigeria rise by more than 100% during the month.
