TUNED IN: A worker tunes the tone of a newly produced piano in a factory in Luoshe Township, Zhejiang Province, on October 15. Pianos manufactured in Luoshe are exported to over 20 countries and regions worldwide (XU YU)

Trade Rebound

China's foreign trade saw a stronger-than-expected rebound in September, indicating improved external demand and stabilization of the sharp growth deceleration in previous months, customs data showed on October 13.

Exports saw the fastest growth in 19 months, expanding 15.3 percent from a year ago to $213.7 billion in September. The growth rate was the highest monthly reading since March 2013.

Imports increased 7 percent year on year to $182.7 billion in the month, and total foreign trade volume rose 11.3 percent to $396.4 billion, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said.

September's growth rate in imports also marked the best performance since December 2013, according to the GAC.

Trade surplus in September more than doubled from last year to $31 billion, compared with $49.8 billion in August.

Analysts dubbed the latest trade data "the big upside surprise," saying that the significant rebound in trade will help ease concerns about an economic slowdown in China.

Zheng Yuesheng, GAC spokesman, attributed September's strong growth to a string of government measures adopted in May to stabilize foreign trade, as well as rebounding global demand.

"We expect the strong momentum to continue in the fourth quarter," Zheng said, adding export pressure will lift in the last three months of this year.

Inflation Eases

Growth in China's consumer price index (CPI) slowed to 1.6 percent in September, the lowest since January 2010, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on October 15.

In August, the CPI registered an increase of 2 percent.

On a monthly basis, the index inflated 0.5 percent in September, faster than the previous month's 0.2-percent growth.

The CPI grew 2.1 percent year on year in the first nine months, well below the 3.5-percent full-year control target set by the government.

China's producer price index (PPI), which measures inflation at wholesale level, dropped 1.8 percent year on year in September, the NBS said.

The PPI declined for the 31st straight month and at a faster pace than the previous month, indicating shrinking demand and rising production overcapacity amid slowing economic growth.

In the first nine months, the country's PPI dropped 1.6 percent year on year, the data showed.

"The PPI rate drop continues to expand, indicating that the task of digesting production overcapacity is huge," said Wang Jun, a researcher with the China Center for International Economic Exchange, adding that the downward pressure on China's economy has not been relieved and the foundation for economic recovery is fragile.

Global Ambition

On October 13, Tmall International, a B2C platform launched by China's e-commerce giant Alibaba Group for overseas shoppers, announced that it will offer free delivery worldwide for products ordered on November 11, an annual day of online shopping promotions in China.

The move is part of Alibaba's overseas business expansion strategy after its New York initial public offering on September 19, which raised $25 billion and made Alibaba the world's second-largest Internet company in market value.

The only goods not included in the free delivery deal for the Double 11 Shopping Festival will be very large items.

Tmall International, launched on February 19, has attracted thousands of global brands to set up stores on it.

Online marketplaces Tmall and Taobao, both owned by Alibaba, saw transactions totaling 35 billion yuan ($5.7 billion) during last year's Double 11 Shopping Spree, the Chinese equivalent of Cyber Monday.