China's exports and imports fall in January | Bangkok Post: news

China's trade activity fell in January from a year earlier, data showed Friday, as a domestic slowdown, overseas turmoil and factory closures during the Lunar New Year holiday hit demand.

A trader conducts business in an area of Datong, Shanxi province, that will soon be demolished to make way for a major urban redevelopment project. Analysts have expressed concern that the world's second largest economy may be heading for a hard landing, although manufacturing activity improved last month despite weaker demand for exports.

Exports fell 0.5 percent year-on-year in January to $149.94 billion while imports plunged 15.3 percent to $122.66 billion, customs said in a statement, marking the worst trade data since 2009 during the global financial crisis.