Beijing, Aug 9 (IANS/EFE) China’s exports were valued at $185.99 billion in July, up 5.1 percent relative to the same month of 2012, the Chinese customs agency said Thursday.
Exports rebounded after falling by 3.1 percent year-on-year in June, the biggest drop in the past four years.
The customs agency, meanwhile, announced that imports totalled $168.17 billion in July, a 10.9 percent increase compared to the same month of last year.
China’s foreign trade grew 7.8 percent year-on-year last month after declining by 2 percent in June.
In the first half of the year, the Asian giant’s foreign trade volume nearly hit $2 trillion, up 8.6 percent from the first six months of 2012.
That was above Beijing’s 8 percent annual growth target for 2013, a goal Chinese authorities say will be “difficult to achieve” considering the discouraging growth prospects for the remainder of the year.
Weak foreign demand – especially from China’s main trade partner, the European Union – weighed on the Asian nation’s exports last year.
The country’s overall foreign trade volume rose just 6.2 percent over that 12-month period, far below the growth rate in previous years and beneath the 10 percent target set for 2012.
–IANS/EFE
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