China’s export growth unexpectedly accelerated last month in the fastest gain since April, as demand from around the world compensated for the continued slump in shipments to the US.

China is shipping more goods to Southeast Asia and other regions that often re-export them to the United States. China still sells three times as much to the United States as it buys.

China has reported its exports surged 7.2% in July from a year earlier while its imports grew at the fastest pace in a year, as businesses rushed to take advantage of a truce in President Donald Trump's trade war with Beijing.