China April exports unexpectedly rise 3.5pc year-on-year; imports down 14.2pc


Reuters | Published: May 07, 2020 09:55:00 | Updated: May 08, 2020 15:56:54


A crane lifts containers to be loaded onto a cargo vessel at a port in Qidong city of Nantong, Jiangsu province, China on March 16, 2020 — China Daily via REUTERS/Files

China’s exports rose 3.5 per cent in April from a year earlier, confounding market expectations for a sharp fall, as factories restarted production after the coronavirus pandemic, customs data showed on Thursday, while imports shrank 14.2 per cent.

Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast exports would tumble 15.7 per cent from a year earlier after a 6.6 per cent drop in March.

Imports were estimated to have contracted 11.2 per cent, worsening from a slide of 0.9 per cent in March.

China posted a trade surplus of $45.34 billion last month, compared with the poll’s forecast for a $6.35 billion surplus and $19.93 billion surplus in March.

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