March 26, 2014 — China’s seafood exports appear to have softened in the first two months of the year, mirroring a weakening of the country’s overall exports sector.
China shipped 550,000 metric tons (MT) of aquatic products worth USD 2.98 billion (EUR 2.2 billion), in January and February combined, down 7.9 percent and 9.1 percent respectively.
That’s according to data from the country’s customs authorities, which also reported that China’s overall exports tumbled in February by 18.1 percent year-on-year, after jumping 10.6 percent in January. Combined January-February exports were down 1.6 percent on the previous year having jumped 7.3 percent year-on-year in the same period in 2013.
Even while discounting for the Chinese New Year break in production (this year’s festival was celebrated in February), the country’s overall trade figures have been taken as evidence of further weakening of China’s economy, even as Chinese policy makers have talked up the positive effects of a recovery in western demand on China’s export industries such as processed seafood.