China's April exports beat expectations, imports narrow declines
BEIJING, May 9 (Reuters) - China's exports expanded 8.1% year-on-year in April, while imports contracted 0.2%, customs data showed on Friday, both defying expectations for a much sharper slowdown in trade.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a 1.9% increase in exports and a 5.9% drop in imports.
The new data followed a 12.4% year-on-year jump in exports in March, when Chinese factories pushed out shipments before U.S. President Donald Trump's 145% tariffs on Chinese goods took effect on April 9. Imports had fallen 4.3% in March.
China has retaliated against U.S. tariffs by ramping up its levies on U.S. imports to 125%. The tit-for-tat trade war is threatening China's exports, which had been a lone bright spot in the country's patchy post-pandemic economic recovery.
Officials from the two countries are meeting this weekend in Switzerland to start trade negotiations.
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