SIMIC

Meanwhile, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and Italy saw strong growth in the value of exports, with at least a 30 per cent expansion so far this year.

Exports to the US fell 11.6 per cent last month from a year ago, falling faster than the 3.8 per cent drop in August, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.

German and French exports to its largest European Union trading partner, fell 5.6 per cent and 7.6 per cent respectively, while exports to the United Kingdom dropped 11.8 per cent.

Trade was a reliable source of economic growth for China during the pandemic but has quickly been losing momentum over the past months as global demand wanes and fears of a recession ripple across the US and Europe.

While the 5.7 per cent expansion of exports in dollar terms was better than the four per cent rise forecast by economists in a Bloomberg survey, the slump with key trading partners shows that the resilience might not last.

But exports to Russia rose 21.2 per cent in September, the third consecutive month of double-digit gains. That takes the year-to-date growth in exports with its northern neighbour to 10.3 per cent. Total trade with Russia is up 32.5 per cent in dollar terms this year, the heftiest increase among major partners.

Car sales continued to be a bright spot, with export growth soaring on the back of demand for Chinese electric vehicles. The value of shipments in dollar terms surged 129 per cent from a year ago in September, while that of electric vehicles jumped 231 per cent.