China’s December trade data beat expectations, as demand from a stronger U.S. economy helped offset weakness in Europe and Japan while Chinese bargain-shopping in commodities markets put a floor under sliding imports. But while exports grew faster and imports shrank less than forecast, trade officials warned of more headwinds to come in the first quarter. Policymakers are trying to steer the world’s second-largest economy through a soft patch as it confronts weak demand and a slowdown in its property market. Exports in December rose 9.7 percent from a year earlier in dollar-denominated terms, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Tuesday, handily beating a Reuters poll by nearly three full percentage points. Imports dropped by only 2.4 percent, where analysts’ consensus was for a far steeper decline of 7.4 percent. Officials were cautious when discussing how much positive momentum trade will deliver. “We think […]