China's foreign trade rises 10.7% in first quarter

China's foreign trade jumped 10.7 percent to 9.42 trillion yuan ($1.48 trillion) in the first quarter of 2022 compared to a year earlier, customs data showed on Wednesday.

From January to March, exports rose 13.4 percent year on year to 5.23 trillion yuan, said Li Kuiwen, a spokesman of the General Administration of Customs, at a press conference.

Meanwhile, the imports stood at 4.19 trillion yuan, up 7.5 percent from the same period last year, Li said.

The recent spread of a new coronavirus variant and geopolitical conflicts have brought uncertainties to China's economy. In March, the world's second-largest economy saw its manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index drop under 50 for the first time in five months, indicating contraction of factory activity.

（CGTN）