BEIJING, July 10 (Reuters) - China's exports rose 7.2 percent in June from a year earlier, while imports rose 5.5 percent, leaving the country with a trade surplus of $31.6 billion for the month, the Customs Administration said on Thursday.
That compared with market expectations in a Reuters poll of a 10.6 percent rise in exports, a 5.8 percent increase in imports and a trade surplus of $35 billion.
China's exports have been sluggish for much of this year but recently began showing signs of life thanks to firmer global demand. Imports also have been weak, highlighting sluggish domestic demand, but recent data has pointed to signs of stabilisation in the world's second-largest economy.
(Reporting by China Economics Team; Editing by Alan Raybould)