China's exports increased in May, while imports declined from the last year due to weak domestic demand, figures from the customs office showed on Monday.

Exports grew 4.8 percent on a yearly basis in May. This followed an 8.1 percent increase in April and also came in weaker than economists' forecast of 5.0 percent.

Meanwhile, imports declined by more-than-expected 3.4 percent from the previous year. Imports were forecast to drop 0.9 percent.

As a result, the trade surplus rose to $103.2 billion in May, which was above the expected level of $101.1 billion.

Powered by Commodity Insights