China’s Exports Jump 12.4% In March

BANGKOK (AP) — China has reported its exports jumped 12.4% in March from a year earlier in a last minute flurry of activity as companies rushed to beat President Donald Trump’s hefty increases in U.S. tariffs. Imports to the world’s No. 2 economy fell 4.3% in March from a year earlier. Exports in January-March rose 5.8% and imports sank 7%. In March, exports to the United States rose 4.5%. A customs administration spokesperson said China faces a complex and severe external situation, but “the sky would not fall.” He pointed to China’s diversified export markets and huge domestic potential. Exports to the U.S. and Europe have slowed, but those to Southeast Asia, India and Africa jumped.