China's trade surplus expanded by a larger than expected 42.9% year on year in June as demand for imports weakened in the world's second-biggest economy.
However the government said the export numbers had also been boosted by stronger demand in emerging markets, which helped offset stagnation in the European and Japanese economies.
Exports for June were $180.21 billion, up 11.3%, while imports rose 6.3% to reach $148.48 billion, the General Administration of Customs said.
This brought the surplus for June to $31.73 billion, up 42.9% year-on-year.
This lifted the surplus for the first half to $68.92 billion, up 56.4% from the same period a year earlier.
China's leaders have already moved to revive growth, raising interest rates twice since the beginning of June. Premier Wen Jiabao over the weekend flagged further measures, and the weak import numbers are the latest in a series of data released recently to fuel expectations the government will act quickly.
The government said yesterday that China's inflation rate slowed to 2.2% in June, the lowest level since the beginning of 2010.
China's economy expanded an annual 8.1% in the first quarter of 2012, its slowest pace in nearly three years. Analysts are expecting growth continued to slow in the second quarter, prompting more government action.
The government is scheduled to release the gross domestic product for the second quarter on Friday.
