上半年我国进口额同比升11.5% 贸易顺差连续8个季度收窄

Core Insights - China's foreign trade showed steady growth in the first half of 2018, with total import and export value reaching 14.12 trillion yuan, a 7.9% increase year-on-year [2] - Exports amounted to 7.51 trillion yuan, growing by 4.9%, while imports reached 6.61 trillion yuan, increasing by 11.5%, resulting in a trade surplus of 901.3 billion yuan, which narrowed by 26.7% [2] - Trade with the United States also saw slight growth, with total trade value of 1.93 trillion yuan, a 5.2% increase year-on-year [2] Trade Performance - In June, exports grew by 11.3% year-on-year, exceeding expectations, while imports grew by 14.1%, falling short of forecasts [3][5] - The trade surplus for June was significantly higher than expected at 41.61 billion USD [3] - The decline in import growth was attributed to a high base effect from the previous year and a rise in commodity prices [5][6] Import and Export Dynamics - The import growth rate outpaced export growth by 6.6 percentage points in the first half of the year, indicating a shift towards increased imports [7] - The government has emphasized policies to expand imports, which have been reflected in the data, with a continuous narrowing of trade surplus since Q3 2016 [7][9] - The recent policy measures include lowering import tariffs on consumer goods and expanding import channels [9] Future Outlook - The first half of 2018 laid a solid foundation for stable foreign trade growth for the year, despite potential challenges from international uncertainties and trade protectionism [9] - Experts predict that while export growth may slow down in the second half of the year, import growth is expected to remain robust [9]