China’s export sales unexpectedly rose for the first time in four months in June and imports fell again but posted their best performance this year, causing some optimism tepid trade flows are picking up. Yet hopes were offset by a realization that China’s trade sector had a poor second quarter, with volumes contracting significantly from a year ago, further dragging on an already stuttering Chinese economy. With China set to publish its second-quarter gross domestic product (GDP) data on Wednesday, some analysts warned that lackluster trade is the precursor for disappointing economic growth. “The soft trade data in the second quarter suggest that China’s second quarter GDP will underperform,” ANZ economists said in a note, adding that the figure could fall to 6.8 percent from the first quarter’s 7.0 percent. Given the headwinds […]