China June exports unexpectedly rise 0.5% year-on-year, imports up 2.7%

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's exports in June unexpectedly rose 0.5% from a year earlier, and imports increased 2.7%, customs data showed on Tuesday.

Analysts in a Reuters poll had forecast exports would fall 1.5% from a year earlier after a 3.3% drop in May.

Imports were estimated to have contracted 10.0%, versus a decline of 16.7% in May.

China posted a trade surplus of $46.42 billion (£36.99 billion) last month, compared with the poll's forecast for a $58.60 billion surplus and $62.93 billion surplus in May.

(Reporting by Colin Qian and Gabriel Crossley; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)