China H1 foreign trade drops 6.9%

File photo shows cargo containers at a Shanghai port in 2014 [Xinhua]

China’s foreign trade dropped 6.9 per cent year on year to 11.53 trillion yuan ($1.89 trillion) in the first half of 2015, official data showed on Monday.

Exports rose slightly by 0.9 per cent from a year ago to 6.57 trillion yuan, while imports slumped by 15.5 per cent to 4.96 trillion yuan, according to data from the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Trade surplus expanded 1.5 times to 1.61 billion yuan in the Jan.-June period.

In June, foreign trade decreased by 1.9 per cent from the previous year, with exports rising by 2.1 per cent and imports falling by 6.7 per cent, data showed. China Customs said that the crisis in Greece was having “a certain effect” on trade.

Trade surplus in June jumped by 45 per cent to 284.2 billion yuan.

 

Source: Agencies