BEIJING: China’s exports jumped 48.3 percent in February from a year earlier, while imports fell 20.5 percent, producing a trade surplus of $60.6 billion for the month, the General Administration of Customs said here the other day.
That compared with market expectations in a Reuters poll of a rise of 14.2 percent in exports, a 10 percent fall in imports and a trade surplus of $10.8 billion.
For the first two months of 2015, exports rose 15 percent from a year ago, while imports fell 20.2 percent.
Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday the government would target economic growth of around 7 percent this year, down from 7.4 percent in 2014 and signalling the slowest expansion for a quarter of a century.
A cooling property market, excess manufacturing capacity, deflationary pressures and a crackdown on corruption are all expected to weigh on the economy in 2015, prompting further cuts in interest rates and bank reserve requirements.
