Beijing - China's September exports rose 9.9% from a year earlier, the government said on Saturday, fuelled by strong demand ahead of the holiday shopping season and government stimulus measures.
September's export volume, which totaled $186bn, exceeded estimates and was well ahead of August's 2.7% increase.
Imports rose 2.4% year-on-year, ending three consecutive months of decline. China's trade surplus rose slightly to $27.7bn.
The world's second-largest economy has been affected by weak demand by US and European economies. Last week, the World Bank cut its growth forecast for China this year from 8.2% to 7.7%.
Beijing hopes to increase its foreign trade by 10% in 2012 but so far has achieved only a 6.2% gain.
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