China trade surplus rises to $18.45 bln in April

China's exports and imports rose marginally in April, official data showed on Thursday, rebounding from sharp declines the month before, with the country reporting a second straight trade surplus. Exports rose 0.9 percent to $188.54 billion year-on-year, the General Administration of Customs announced, while imports rose 0.8 percent to $170.09 billion, resulting in a surplus of $18.45 billion. The figures come a month after Customs reported that China's trade volumes fell dramatically in March, which analysts blamed on the continued impact of fake reporting of exports seen in early 2013. In March imports slumped 11.3 percent year-on-year to $162.4 billion while exports fell 6.6 percent to $170.1 billion, for a trade surplus of $7.7 billion. China had recorded an unexpected trade deficit of almost $23 billion in February, which authorities blamed on the Lunar New Year holiday season. That result was China's first monthly deficit in 11 months. China's economy grew 7.4 percent in the first three months of 2014, weaker than the 7.7 percent in October-December last year and the worst since a similar 7.4 percent expansion in the third quarter of 2012.