KUALA LUMPUR: The outlook in China is not as bleak as it has been made out to be, with exports up 10.4% and imports 6.7% year-on-year in the first half of 2013, Maybank Research reported.
It acknowledged that there was probably considerable over-reporting of exports in the January-April period but said this had been corrected after the authorities cracked down on over-invoicing in May. Trade surplus for 2013 was still a healthy US107.95bil, a 58.5% increase year-on-year – “quite strong amid a sluggish global economy”.