China's foreign trade growth missed the government's 10-percent target set for 2012 by rising only 6.2 percent from 2011, China Customs data showed on January 10.

Exports and imports totaled $3.87 trillion in 2012, and growth slowed sharply from the 22.5-percent rise registered in 2011, said Zheng Yuesheng, spokesman of the General Administration of Customs, at a press conference.

Exports stood at $2.05 trillion, up 7.9 percent from the previous year, while imports were $1.82 trillion, up 4.3 percent year on year.

Trade surplus widened to $231.1 billion in 2012, 48.1 percent more than the level recorded in 2011.

In December alone, China's exports gained 14.1 percent from one year earlier to $19.92 billion. Imports rose 6 percent year on year to $18.18 billion.