China trade surplus rises to $US18.45bn

China's trade surplus has risen to $US18.45 billion in April, official data shows.

China's exports and imports rose marginally in April, rebounding from sharp declines the month before, with the country reporting a second straight trade surplus.

Exports rose 0.9 per cent to $US188.54 billion ($A203.99 billion) year-on-year, the General Administration of Customs announced on Thursday, while imports rose 0.8 per cent to $US170.09 billion, resulting in a surplus of $US18.45 billion.

The figures come a month after Customs reported that China's trade volumes fell dramatically in March, which analysts blamed on the continued impact of fake reporting of exports in early 2013.

In March, imports slumped 11.3 per cent year-on-year to $US162.4 billion while exports fell 6.6 per cent to $US170.1 billion, for a trade surplus of $US7.7 billion.

China had recorded an unexpected trade deficit of almost $US23 billion in February, which authorities blamed on the Lunar New Year holiday season. That result was China's first monthly deficit in 11 months.

China's economy grew 7.4 per cent in the first three months of 2014, weaker than the 7.7 per cent in October-December last year and the worst since a similar 7.4 per cent expansion in the third quarter of 2012.


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Source: AAP


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China trade surplus rises to $US18.45bn | SBS News