China overtakes Japan in exports

China surpassed Japan to become the world’s largest vehicle exporting country in the first half of this year, according to data from trade groups in the two countries. The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association’s latest tally shows that Japan’s vehicle exports rose 17% year-on-year to 2.02 million in the first six months. By contrast, automakers in China shipped 2.34 million vehicles overseas in the period, a jump of 77% from a year earlier, according to the China Association of Automobile.