China’s exports and imports in September were far higher than expected, according to official data: exports were 15.3% higher than last year, while imports rose 7%, giving a trade surplus of $31bn for the month.
The data beat the expectations of analysts, who had expected a 12% rise in exports and a fall of up to 3% in imports.
The economy of China has struggled this year to maintain growth rates, with weak factory activity and slowing domestic demand from a cooling housing market, which has led to repeated warnings that China could miss its economic growth target of 7.5% this year.