China's exports to the U.S. jumped ahead of summit, survey shows

American businesses ramped up orders for Chinese goods in the weeks leading up to the high-stakes summit this week, as companies positioned for continued stability between the world's two largest economies.

The jump in orders was a "surprise," with shipments to the U.S. rising on both a yearly and monthly basis "as China's relative tariff position improved," according to China Beige Book, a New York-based research firm that surveyed 1,295 Chinese companies between Sept. 1-22.

The gauge measuring orders from the U.S. — calculated as the proportion of surveyed firms reporting an increase minus the share reporting a decrease — jumped to 13 in September, from negative-12 a year earlier and 3 in August, according to the report.

Even so, overall Chinese domestic and export orders remained below their levels a year earlier, and new orders weakened from August, the report showed.