(Yicai Global) Sept. 8 -- China’s exports are expected to maintain strong growth momentum in the run up to the end-of-year holiday season, analysts said, after the country’s customs authorities released robust data for shipments last month.

Second-half exports are usually higher than those in the first six months, as Western countries celebrate their main holidays in that period, said Zheng Houcheng, director of Yingda Securities Research Institute. Growth in second-half exports and the two-year average growth rate are likely to be positive, he added.

Overseas consumers are already preparing for the holidays, according to Luo He, category director at cross-border e-commerce marketplace Dhgate. Sales of Christmas decorations soared 265 percent in the first half from a year ago, while those of home appliances, computers as well as health, beauty and pet products are expected to increase rapidly in this half, Luo said.

China’s exports rose 15.7 percent in August to CNY1.9 trillion (USD294 billion), according to data released by the General Administration of Customs yesterday. In the first eight months, they jumped 23.2 percent to CNY13.6 trillion (USD2.1 trillion).

August’s figure was mainly the result of the differing impact of the coronavirus pandemic on various regions of the world, Huo Jianguo, vice chairman of the China Society for World Trade Organization Studies, told Yicai Global.

The delta variant hit Southeast Asia, causing exports from countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia to drop, so China received more orders from Europe and the United States, where economies are recovering, Huo added.

Editor: Futura Costaglione