BEIJING, Jan 13 (Reuters) – China’s exports tumbled 9.9% in December from a year earlier, while imports shrank 7.5%, customs data showed on Friday.
Analysts in a Reuters poll had expected exports to fall 10.0 after a 8.7% drop in November due to weakening global demand.
Imports were forecast to have contracted by 9.8% compared with a 10.6% fall in November, due to sluggish domestic consumption as many people stayed indoors amid surging COVID-19 infections after the government largely removed anti-virus measures.
China posted a trade surplus of $78 billion in December, compared with a forecast $76.2 billion surplus in the poll and a $69.84 billion surplus in November.
Reporting by Shen Yan, Ellen Zhang and Joe Cash; Editing by Bernard Orr and Kim Coghill
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