China exports slumped 12.4% in June from a year earlier as global demand weakened

abcnews.go.com:

China has reported its exports tumbled 12.4% in June from a year earlier as demand weakened after central banks raised interest rates to curb inflation

HONG KONG — China's exports tumbled 12.4% in June from a year earlier as demand weakened after central banks raised interest rates to curb inflation even as Chinese leaders struggled to keep a post-COVID recovery from faltering.

Customs data released Thursday showed imports slid 6.8% to $214.7 billion. Exports edged up slightly from the month before, totaling $285.3 billion. The trade surplus was $70.6 billion, rising from $65.8 billion in May.

Trade weakness adds to downward pressure on the world’s second-largest economy. Global consumer demand has weakened after the Federal Reserve and central banks in Europe and Asia raised interest rates to bring inflation down from near multi-decade highs by reining in business and consumer activity.

In January-June, China’s total trade including imports and exports fell nearly 5% from a year earlier. Exports slipped 3.2% and imports declined 6.7% as prices of commodities like oil fell and demand inside China also faltered.

Exports to the United States tumbled 23.7% from a year earlier to $42.7 billion, a six-month low, while imports of American goods sank 4.1% to $14 billion. China’s politically volatile trade surplus with the United States narrowed by 30.6% to $28.7 billion.

Trade also has been dampened by tension with Washington and restrictions on access to U.S. processor chips and other technology in a feud with Beijing over security and Chinese industrial policy. Chinese factories assemble most of the world’s smartphones and other electronics.

“With the global downturn in goods demand continuing to weigh on exports, we think