China’s export machine remained surprisingly resilient in July following a strong bounceback from the spring’s harsh Covid-19 restrictions, defying again predictions of softening global demand for Chinese-made goods. Chinese shipments to the rest of the world rose to $332.9 billion in July, China’s General Administration of Customs said Sunday, an 18% increase compared with a year earlier. The reading beat a median forecast of 15.6% growth among economists polled by The Wall Street Journal. July’s year-over-year growth rate represents an acceleration from the 17.9% pace in June. The strong export growth reflected a rapid easing of Covid-induced supply-chain disruptions, as workers at China’s factories and ports caught up on backlogs of orders. Exports to the European Union and the U.S.—China’s second- and third-largest trading partners, respectively—rose 23.1% and 11%, respectively, in July from […]