China's customs data show that exports of tea to all destinations through June amounted to 175,000 metric tons, a 3% decline in volume compared to last year.
According to the China Tea Marketing Association the value of China's tea exports for the period fell to $847 million, a year-on-year decrease of 14%. During 2022, China exported $2.1 billion worth of tea, around 375,000 metric tons, for a 25% share of global tea exports by volume.
The decline in China's outbound shipments of tea during the year's first half tracks an ongoing deceleration in the nation's overall trade. During the past year, the country’s exports dropped 14.5%. In July, Chinese exports suffered their biggest drop in over three years. Exports to the European Union and United States sagged.
A decoupling in trade with the U.S. is evident. Exports from China during the first half of the year accounted for the lowest share of U.S. imports in 20 years, at 13.3%, according to Bloomberg News. These exports declined by 25% in value from the same period in 2022 to $203 billion, based on data from the U.S. Department of Commerce. The figures are not adjusted for inflation.
China has ranked as the top supplier of goods to the U.S. every year for more than a decade, and trade between the two countries reached a record high last year. Bilateral trade is being challenged as Washington and Beijing disagree over human rights issues, fair trade, and competition for technology and markets, according to Bloomberg.
The China Tea Marketing Association reports that the average export price from January through June was $4.84 per kilogram, a year-on-year decrease of 11.47%.
“China's green tea export volume was 146,300 tons, accounting for 83.6% of the total [tea] export volume, a decrease of 6,251 tons, or 4.1%; black tea export volume was 13,400 tons, accounting for 7.7% of the total export volume, a 4.5% decrease that amounted to 636 tons,” according to CTMA.
Exports of Pu’er, white tea, jasmine tea, scented tea, and dark tea all declined.
The only category that increased was oolong tea. Shipments rose 13.8% to 11,000 metric tons.