China's goods trade rose 9.7 percent year on year in 2018 to 30.51 trillion yuan (about 4.5 trillion U.S. dollars), customs data showed Monday.

Exports rose 7.1 percent year on year to 16.42 trillion yuan last year while imports grew 12.9 percent to 14.09 trillion yuan, resulting in a trade surplus of 2.33 trillion yuan, which narrowed by 18.3 percent, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said.