China's May exports fell by a more-than-expected 4.1 per cent from a year earlier, while imports slipped by 0.4 per cent, much less than expected.

That left the country with a trade surplus of $49.98 billion for the month, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday.

Analysts polled by Reuters had expected exports to fall by 3.6 per cent, and predicted imports would fall by 6.0 per cent. - Reuters