Imports to China rose the most in five months in December, indicating that domestic demand will support economic growth.The Chinese government claimed the title of the world’s biggest trader of goods.
Inbound shipments increased 8.3 percent from a year earlier, the customs administration said today in Beijing. Exports rose 4.3 percent, a rate that may have been distorted by fake invoices. The trade surplus was $25.6 billion.
Improving demand will help support expansion. While China said that it had surpassed the U.S.A to become the top trading nation in 2013, the government highlighted challenges for exporters including gains in the yuan and increased labor costs.