Trade with Argentina 'hit by protectionism'

China's exports to Argentina in April declined 34.4 percent from last year, the largest monthly drop since the 2009 global recession, signaling the deepening negative influence of Argentina's trade protectionism on bilateral trade, analysts and trade experts said

China's imports in April from the South American country increased 3.7 percent year-on-year to $443 million, according to data from the Argentine National Institute of Statistics and Censuses.

By contrast, exports to Argentina plummeted to $494 million in April from $752 million last year, Argentine data show.

During the January-April period, China's imports from Argentina surged 39 percent year-on-year to $1.14 billion while its exports declined 4 percent to $2.7 billion, Argentine data show.

In a bid to achieve a larger trade surplus than last year, the Argentine government imposed strict measures to restrain its import volume, according to media reports.

Argentine data show that during the first four months of this year, the country's exports increased 4 percent from last year to $25 billion while its imports declined 4 percent year-on-year to $20 billion.

Its trade surplus during this period more than doubled from last year to $5 billion, Argentine data show.