China's exports, imports down in September

By Emre Aytekin

BEIJING (AA) - The downward trend in exports and imports, which is seen as a sign of the fragility in China's economic recovery, continued in September.

According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, last month's exports and imports decreased by 6.2% year-on-year to $299.1 billion and $221.4 billion, respectively.

Although the decline in exports slowed from 8.8% in August, the downward trend seen in the previous four months continued.

After decreasing by 6.8% year-on-year in the first two months of 2023, exports increased by 14.8% in March and 8.5% in April, exceeding expectations, before falling by 7.5% in May, 12.4% in June, 14.5% in July, and 8.8% in September.

Analysts predict that the decline in exports will continue in the coming months due to weak global demand for export products.

*Writing by Gokhan Ergocun in Istanbul