The value of China’s imports fell sharply last month as the economy’s post-pandemic recovery showed signs of slowing down. Imports fell 7.9 percent in April from a year earlier, widely outpacing a 1.4-percent contraction in March.
Weaker imports of steel, crude oil and plastics indicated slow domestic demand and a floundering economy.
Exports grew 8.5 percent during the same period. It was a recovery from last year, when strict coronavirus lockdowns were in force in Shanghai and elsewhere in the country.
Russia-bound exports were up roughly 150 percent, helping push the number higher.