MNI 5 Things: China April Exports Rebound Strongly

By Flora Guo

     BEIJING (MNI) - China's General Administration of Customs announced the

latest trade statistics on Tuesday. Below are five things we learnt from the

release:

     - Exports rebounded strongly by 12.9% on a year-over-year basis to

USD200.44 billion, faster than MNI's surveyed 8.0% growth, and back in positive

territory after March's 2.7% drop. Export growth for the first four months rose

13.7% year-over-year to USD745.73 billion. 

     - The trade balance has corrected the deficit of USD4.98 billion in March

to a surplus of USD28.78 billion - very close to MNI's survey expectations of

USD28.6 billion - marking the second biggest surplus so far in 2018. 

     - Imports growth climbed to 21.5% y/y from a year earlier to USD 171.65

billion, stronger than the market consensus' 16.0% increase. The faster pace has

consolidated the solid momentum of imports in the first four months, which

increased by 19.6% to USD668.98 billion.

     - Exports to China's top partners - the EU, the U.S., ASEAN and Japan,

whose trade value account for almost half of the total value - have all

increased in the first four months. The four partners' trade growth came in at

8.3%, 5.9%, 12.6% and 3.8% respectively.

     - Imports of soybeans decreased in the first four months, according to

China Customs statistics. Soybeans imports dropped by 3.8% y/y to 26.49 million

tonnes in the Jan-Apr period. 

--MNI Beijing Bureau; tel: +86 (10) 8532-5998; email: flora.guo@marketnews.com

--MNI Beijing Bureau; +86-10-8532-5998; email: beijing@marketnews.com

[TOPICS: M$A$$$,M$Q$$$,MC$$$$,MI$$$$]