China December exports down as trade tensions with US loom

Beijing

CHINA exports in December have fallen amid tepid global growth and threats of a trade war with the United States, China's biggest export market.

Overseas shipments dropped 6.1 per cent from a year earlier in US dollar terms. For the full year, exports fell 7.7 per cent to US$2.1 trillion.

Imports fared better, rising 3.1 per cent on strong demand for commodities, leaving China with a US$40.8 billion trade surplus. Over the year, imports dropped 5.5 per cent to US$1.59 trillion.

That left a trade surplus of US$510 billion for t…