Soybean imports in Beijing, China.
TPG | Getty Images
China reported that its dollar-denominated exports and imports both fell from a year ago in March, but they were better than what economists had expected.
China’s exports fell 6.6% in March from a year ago, while imports slipped 0.9% in the same month, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday.
Economists polled by Reuters had expected exports from China to fall 14% in March from a year ago, while imports were projected to fall 9.5% over the same period.
The country’s March trade surplus was $19.9 billion, as compared with the $18.55 billion that economists polled by Reuters had expected.
Earlier this year, China reported combined trade data for the months of January and February.
Over the two months, exports fell 17.2% from a year ago while imports fell 9.5% as the coronavirus outbreak put the brakes on the world’s second largest economy.
While the outbreak appears to have abated in China recently, it…
