China’s export growth unexpectedly speeds up in June

A delivery worker of Chinese online grocery Dingdong Maicai works at a shop on a street in Shanghai, China June 10, 2021. REUTERS/Aly Song/Files

BEIJING: China’s exports unexpectedly surged in June, helping to underpin the economy amid signs the recovery is starting to slow.

Exports climbed 32.2% in dollar terms in June from a year earlier, while import growth slowed to 36.7%, the customs administration said Tuesday. That left a trade surplus of $51.53 billion for the month. Economists had forecast that exports would grow by 23% while imports would climb by 29.5%.