Quotable quotes on China's April exports, imports data

BEIJING - China's exports posted a weaker-than-expected growth and its imports dipped in an accelerated pace in April amid sluggish domestic and global demand.

Its exports in yuan-denominated terms rose 4.1 percent year-on-year, while its imports dropped 5.7 percent, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said Sunday.

The following are quotes by officials, experts and major media reports on China's trade figures for April:

China's exports remained positive but continued to be affected by weak global demand, said Bloomberg chief Asia economist Tom Orlik.

"China will have to wait for a combination of stronger global demand and the slow process of upgrading its manufacturing base to restore vitality to exports," he noted.

"Amid shrinking global demand, China still managed to grow its share of world exports to 13.8 percent last year from 12.3 percent in 2014, indicating the country's export sector remains competitive despite higher costs," said Reuters in a Sunday news piece.

"We'are fully confident of attaining the goal of stabilizing our foreign trade and regaining strong growth in case of no dramatic deterioration in the global economy," said Chinese Ministry of Commerce spokesperson Shen Danyang.