China September exports fall 1.1%

[BEIJING] China's exports fell 1.1 percent from a year earlier in September in yuan-denominated terms, while imports tumbled 17.7 per cent.

That left a trade surplus of 376.2 billion yuan (US$59.45 billion) for the month, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said on Tuesday, compared with analysts' forecasts of US$46.8 billion.

Dollar-denominated figures have not yet been published. Economists had expected an export decline of 6.3 per cent in dollar terms and an import decline of 15.0 per cent.

China is widely expected to post its slowest economic growth in a quarter of a century this year as activity is weighed down by weakening demand at home and abroad, factory overcapacity, high debt levels and cooling investment.

REUTERS