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Wind turbine blades wait to be exported to a factory in Nantong, eastern China, March 2, 2021 (AFP)
Chinese export growth reached its highest level in more than two decades, official data showed on Sunday, with imports also rising sharply following the coronavirus outbreak that had virtually brought activity to a halt.
Exports of electronics and textiles, such as face masks, contributed to the surge in outbound shipments, as demand for home work supplies and protective gear against the virus outbreak soared during the pandemic.
Exports grew 60.6% year-on-year between January and February, beating analysts’ expectations and boosted by shipments of electronics and masks, while imports rose 22.2%, official data shows Sunday.
The latest customs figures contrast sharply with the decline of 17 percent in exports and 4 percent in imports last year.
The country struggled to contain the spread of Covid-19 from the start, with consumers staying at home and businesses seeing a slow return to operations.
The comparison with last year is also likely to have strengthened the latest figures.
China’s overall trade surplus stood at $ 103.3 billion, its customs administration said.
Chinese authorities began combining trade data from January and February last year, as they battled the coronavirus outbreak.
This is in line with the way some other metrics are published, to alleviate distortions due to the Lunar New Year holidays, which can fall within two months.
On Sunday, official data showed electronics exports rose 54.1%, while textiles, including face masks, rose 50.2%.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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