April 13, 2022

China's imports in March unexpectedly dropped 0.1 percent from a year earlier, customs data showed on Wednesday, as a new outbreak of the Omicron variant and geopolitical conflicts have brought uncertainties to the country's economy.

March imports, which a Reuters' poll estimated to be 8 percent higher than a year before, stood at $228.7 billion, while exports beat expectations, jumping 14.7 percent last month year on year to $276.08 billion, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

In the first quarter, total foreign trade rose 13 percent to $1.48 trillion compared to the same period last year, according to the GAC, as imports were up 9.6 percent and exports climbed 15.8 percent.

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