China March exports in shock 15% fall

Beijing

CHINA'S export sales contracted 15 per cent in March while import shipments fell at their sharpest rate since the 2009 global financial crisis, a shock outcome that deepens concern about sputtering Chinese economic growth.

The tumble in exports - the worst in about a year - compared with expectations for a 12 per cent rise and could heighten worries about how a rising yuan has hurt demand for Chinese goods and services abroad, analysts said.

In a sign that domestic demand was also tepid, imports into the world's second-biggest economy shrunk 12.7 per cent last month from a year ago, the …