BEIJING: China's imports and exports rose 9.8 percent in November year on year, ending a 12-month decline, to stand at $208.2 billion, the General Administration of Customs announced Friday.

The trade surplus was $177.96 billion in the January-November period, down 30.6 percent from a year earlier.

Imports rose 26.7 percent in November to $94.6 billion.

From January to November, the country's imports and exports totalled $1.96 trillion, down 17.5 percent compared with the corresponding period last year.

Imports for the first 11 months were $893.02 billion, down 15.8 percent year on year; exports dropped 18.8 percent to $1.07 trillion.

The EU remained China's biggest trading partner, though bilateral trade declined 17 percent to $326.27 billion in value in the first 11 months; the United States was second with trade at $266.54 billion, down 13.4 percent; Japan followed with trade down 17.4 percent to $203.33 billion.