Booming AI Demand Fuels Jump in China’s Exports: Supply Lines

China’s exports jumped more than 19% from a year earlier as booming demand for artificial intelligence hardware offsets disruptions from the war in Iran.

Imports soared more than 27% in May, leaving a trade surplus of $105.4 billion, the biggest since January, with companies loading up on foreign chips and equipment.

The Latest: China Prepares $295 Billion Plan to Fund Nationwide AI Buildout

Eric Zhu of Bloomberg Economics said the gains partly reflected higher prices and a low base of comparison tied to last year’s drop in China-US trade ahead of a tariff truce.

“Even so, the report allays ...