Exports from China grew more than forecast in August while imports shrank unexpectedly for the second month in a row, a reminder of the fragile recovery in the world’s No. 2 economy, customs data showed on Monday.
Exports rose 9.4 percent last month, down from the 14.5 percent expansion in July but higher than many economists had been forecasting.
Imports, however, contracted by 2.4 percent, after shrinking 1.6 percent the month before, at odds with the expectations of economists, who though imports would return to growth last month.
The figures indicate that global demand for China’s manufactured goods is holding up but domestic demand continues to stumble, exacerbated by a slump in the property market.