Wind turbine blades await export to a factory in Nantong, eastern China, on March 2, 2021. (AFP)
China’s export growth has risen to its highest in two decades, official figures showed on Sunday, with imports also rising sharply from the outbreak of the coronavirus, which has nearly shut down.
Exports of electronics and textiles, such as masks, have helped boost outbound shipments as demand for home supplies and outbreak protection equipment has increased during the pandemic.
Exports increased by 60.6% year-on-year in January-February, above analysts’ expectations and increased by electronics and mask deliveries, while imports increased by 22.2%, official data show on Sunday.
The latest customs figures contrast sharply with last year’s decline of around 17% in exports and 4% in imports.
The country has struggled to prevent the spread of Covid-19 from the start, with consumers remaining at home and businesses noticing a slow return to operations.
The comparison with last year is likely to have consolidated the latest figures as well.
China’s global trade surplus has reached $ 103.3 billion, its customs administration said.
Chinese authorities began combining trade data from January and February last year as they battled the coronavirus outbreak.
This is in line with how other indicators are released, to alleviate distortions from the Lunar New Year holiday, which can fall in both months.
On Sunday, official data showed that exports of electronics rose 54.1 percent, while textiles, including masks, rose 50.2 percent.
(This story was not edited by NDTV staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated stream.)