China's December trade data beat expectations as demand from a stronger U.S. economy helped offset weakness in Europe and Japan, while Chinese bargain-shopping in commodities markets put a floor under sliding imports.
But while exports grew faster and imports shrank less than forecast, trade officials warned of more headwinds to come in the first quarter if global demand remains uneven.
Policymakers are trying to steer the world's second-largest economy through a soft patch as it confronts weak demand, over capacity and a cooling property market. The central bank unexpectedly cut interest rates in November and many economists expect further stimulus in coming months to avert a sharper slowdown.
Exports in December rose 9.7% from a year earlier in dollar-denominated terms, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday, handily beating a Reuters poll by nearly three full percentage points.
Imports dropped by only 2.4%, where analysts' consensus was for a far steeper decline of 7.4%.
