China portends rise in international trade

Chinese exports jumped 21 percent, while imports soared 85 percent compared to January 2009, data released Wednesday indicated. For the month, China's trade surplus was $14.17 billion, down from December's $18.4 billion.

While China's economy grew through the near-global recession, its trade figures can be viewed as a barometer of international trade, which fell sharply in 2009 due to decreased consumer spending and business investments.

With China's international trade on the rise, "the outlook for export manufacturing, ports and container shipping sectors appears to be brighter, compared to last year," Jing Ulrich, chairman of China equities and commodities at JPMorgan, told The New York Times.

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