China’s exports grew sharply in April despite Donald Trump’s “liberation” day tariffs on shipments to the US, strengthening Beijing’s hand ahead of crucial trade negotiations due to start this weekend.

The strong performance came as Chinese companies diverted trade flows to south-east Asia, Europe and other destinations following the imposition of prohibitively high tit-for-tat tariffs between the world’s two largest economies.

Exports rose 8.1 per cent in dollar terms compared with a year earlier, China’s customs said on Friday, beating analysts’ forecasts in a poll by Reuters of 1.9 per cent growth but slowing from 12.4 per cent growth in March, when figures were buoyed by exporters seeking to get ahead of expected tariffs by frontloading shipments to the US.