BEIJING: China saw imports drop for the twelfth month in a row in October giving further cause for concern over the Chinese economy.
Imports by the world’s biggest trader of goods fell 18.8% from a year earlier to $130.8bn, a slight improvement on September’s 20.4% decline.
Exports dropped 6.9% to $192.4bn, the fourth consecutive monthly fall, as foreign demand waned.
That left China with its highest trade surplus on record at $61.6bn.
Chinese authorities have been trying to make the economy more consumer-led and less reliant on exports, but the continuing fall in imports suggests domestic demand is not as strong as Beijing would like.
