China's Imports Plummet In March

China's exports rebounded from a contraction in March and sales to the United States grew strongly despite US President Donald Trump's tariff hikes.

Customs data released on Friday showed exports rose 14.2 percent over a year ago, recovering from February's 20.8 percent contraction. Imports fell 7.6 percent, decelerating from the previous month's 5.2 percent decline.

Economists polled by Bloomberg had expected a 6.5 percent growth in exports, and a slight 0.2 percent rise in imports.

A government spokesman announced exports to the United States rose 10.6 percent, while imports of American goods fell 21 percent.

The export slump has added to pressure on Chinese leaders to make peace in a tariff war with Washington over Beijing's technology ambitions.

Beijing has taken measures to jumpstart its cooling economy with massive tax cuts and fee reductions but the falling imports point to tepid demand at home.

Last month, officials lowered China's annual growth target to 6.0 to 6.5 percent for the year, down from 6.6 percent last year.

Washington and Beijing have slapped tariffs on more than US$360 billion in two-way goods trade, weighing on the manufacturing sectors in both countries.

Soybeans, traditionally one of the largest imports from the US, fell by 14.4 percent during the first quarter from last year.

However, analysts caution it is difficult to compare trends in China's data at the start of the year due to the Chinese New Year holiday, which came in early February this year and can affect business activity.

Recent manufacturing data showed export orders shrank for the 10th straight month in March amid slowing global growth. (AP, AFP)