China's export growth picks up in September

China's exports rose 9.9 percent year on year to 186.35 billion U.S. dollars in September, official data showed Saturday. The export volume hit a record monthly high and the growth was higher than the 2.7 percent year on year increase posted in August, according to figures from the General Administration of Customs (GAC). Imports ended three months of consecutive drops in September, up 2.4 percent from a year earlier to 158.68 billion U.S. dollars. Trade surplus rose slightly to 27.67 billion U.S. dollars from 26.66 billion U.S. dollars in August, the GAC said. The country's total foreign trade went up 6.3 percent year on year to 345.03 billion U.S. dollars in September and expanded 6.2 percent year on year to 2.84 trillion U.S. dollars in the first nine months. In the Jan.-Sept. period, exports grew 7.4 percent from a year earlier to 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars while imports gained 4.8 percent to 1.35 trillion U.S. dollars, bringing the trade surplus to 148.31 billion U.S. dollars. During that period, trade with the European Union, China's largest trade partner, fell 2.7 percent year on year to 410.99 billion U.S. dollars, the figures showed. Trade with the United States, the country's second largest trade partner, increased 9.1 percent to 355.42 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, China's trade with Japan dipped 1.8 percent to 248.76 billion U.S. dollars, faster than the 1.4 percent decline recorded in the first eight months.