CRI听力:Trade Data Shows China's Economy Holding Steady but Pressure Remains

A total of 350 vehicles are to be loaded on a cargo ship for export at a port in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 9, 2016. [File Photo: Xinhua/Wang Chun]

China recorded weaker growth momentum in exports and an accelerated decrease in imports in April.

Official data shows China's exports in yuan-denominated terms rose 4.1 percent year on year in April, while imports dipped 5.7 percent, falling for the 18th consecutive month.

Export growth in April was milder than the 18.7-percent increase in March, while imports fell at a faster pace compared with the 1.7-percent drop in the previous month.

On a brighter note, a leading index of the country's exports rose 2.2 points to 33.8 in April, with sub-indices for new export orders and managers' confidence both up from March.

In the January-April period, exports dropped 2.1 percent year on year while imports went down 7.5 percent, leading to a trade surplus of 1.11 trillion yuan.

For more on April's trade data, CRI’s Bob Jones spoke with Mike Bastin, director of the China Business Center at Southampton Solent University in London.