China trade data for May misses expectations as export growth slows, imports dip
China's exports grew at a slowing pace last month amid lingering uncertainty over US tariffs, pointing to continued strain in the country's manufacturing and trade sectors – and the slight uptick could also reflect front-loading by exporters anticipating future disruptions.
China's May exports were up by 4.8 per cent, year on year, to US$316.1 billion, customs data showed on Monday.
The figure followed April's 8.1 per cent growth and fell short of the estimate of a 6.28 per cent increase in a market survey by Chinese financial data provider Wind.
Imports, meanwhile, fell by 3.4 per cent, year on year, compared with a 0.2 per cent downtick in April. Wind predicted a 0.7 per cent increase.
China's trade surplus stood at US$103.2 billion in May, up from US$96.18 billion in April.
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