BEIJING: Chinese exports fell 6.1 percent in December to $209.4 billion, official data showed Friday, missing expectations as weak demand weighed on the world's second-largest economy.
Imports rose 3.1 percent year-on-year to $168.6 billion, Customs said, while the trade surplus dropped nearly a third to $40.8 billion.
Figures for the whole year showed an even sharper decline, with exports falling 7.7 percent to $2.1 trillion, and imports dropping 5.5 percent to $1.59 trillion.
The world's largest trader in goods, China's performance affects partners from Australia to Zambia, which have been battered as its expansion has slowed to levels not seen in a quarter of a century.
"There remain some obstacles facing China's foreign trade development," Customs said, adding the international trading environment was "severe and complex".
It had earlier released the figures in yuan terms, showing a 2.0 percent drop in exports last year.
The yuan's recent slide against the dollar to eight-year lows had helped lift exports in November, but the country faces an uncertain trade outlook this year as US President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to label China a currency manipulator and slap punitive tariffs on its goods.
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