Investing.com - China's December exports fell 1.4% from a year earlier, while imports slid 7.6%, both much less than economists had expected, according to official figures released on Wednesday.
That left the country with a trade surplus of $60.09 billion for the month, the General Administration of Customs said.
Economists had expected exports to fall 8.0% and predicted imports would fall 11.5%.
The data indicated that the Chinese economy may be stabilizing, easing fears over a China-led slowdown in global growth.
China's economy likely grew by around 7% in 2015, in line with the government's official target, the top economic planning agency said on Tuesday.