In August this year, Chinese exports improved by a smaller margin than expected, increasing by 2.7 percent year on year and by 0.6 percent month on month to $177.97 billion, as announced by the Chinese customs authorities on Monday, September 10. In the given month, China's imports were down 2.6 percent year on year and fell by 0.3 percent month on month to $151.31 billion. Accordingly, the country's total foreign trade value in August amounted to $329.29 billion, with a trade surplus of $26.66 billion.
Meanwhile, in the first eight months of the current year, China's total export value came to $1.30912 trillion, increasing by 7.1 percent year on year, while the total import value amounted to $1.18851 trillion, rising by
5.1 percent year on year. China's overall foreign trade value in the January-August period was $2.49762 trillion, increasing by 6.2 percent year on year, while the trade surplus for the period was $120.61 billion.
It is thought that the slower than expected increase in China's exports and the decrease in its imports in the month of August will add to fears over the slowdown in the Chinese economy.