May exports grow better than expected

Supportive policies will help tackle structural issues and prop up economy

China's exports grew better than expected in May, with analysts pointing to improved external demand and strong resilience in foreign trade, providing a solid base for achieving its annual economic target.

Despite challenges in the global economic climate, they expected to see robust export growth this year — a key driver for economic growth stabilization, saying the successful implementation of the ongoing supportive policies will help tackle structural issues and prop up the world's second-largest economy.

Their comments came as data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Friday that exports last month rose 7.6 percent from a year earlier to $302 billion, marking a significant improvement from the 1.5 percent rise in April. Imports, meanwhile, rose 1.8 percent to $220 billion in May, down from an 8.4 percent gain in April.