China exports shrink most in two years

Geely cars for export enter a cargo vessel at Ningbo Zhoushan port in Zhejiang province, China January 2, 2019

BEIJING: China’s exports unexpectedly fell the most in two years in December, while imports also contracted, pointing to further weakness in the world’s second-largest economy in 2019 and deteriorating global demand.

Adding to policymakers’ worries, data also showed China posted its biggest trade surplus with the United States on record in 2018, which could prompt President Donald Trump to turn up the heat on Beijing in their bitter trade dispute.