Beijing

CHINA'S import growth slowed faster than expected in April, as inbound shipments of commodities such as iron ore and copper weakened, while export growth more than halved, in line with a general cooling in demand for electronic gadgets.

China's April imports rose 11.9 per cent, cooling from March's 20.3 per cent rise, official data showed on Monday, and missing analysts' expectations for an 18 per cent rise.