China saw a further improvement in its international trade performance during December 2017, rounding off an overall positive year of growth for the Asian superpower.

Official data has shown that Chinese exports grew by 10.9 per cent year over year during the final month of 2017, which was down from 12.3 per cent the previous month, but exceeded the 9.1 per cent forecast from analysts polled by Reuters.

Imports, meanwhile, ticked upwards by 4.5 per cent, a positive figure that nevertheless fell significantly short of the 17.7 per cent growth figure from November, or the economists' prediction of a 13 per cent rise. This left the country with a trade surplus of $54.69 billion (€45.1 billion) for the month.

For the year as a whole, data from the General Administration of Customs showed that exports rose 7.9 per cent in dollar terms, while imports increased by 15.9 per cent. This represents a sign of positive momentum for China, which has enjoyed strong domestic and overseas demand after a lean few years in terms of international trade.