According to rttnews, China's exports declined at a slower than expected pace in August, while imports logged the the first growth since 2014 on strong domestic demand.

Exports declined 2.8 percent year-on-year in August but slower than the 4.4 percent decrease seen in July, the National Bureau of Statistics said Thursday. Economists had expected a 4 percent fall.

Meanwhile, imports grew 1.5 percent in contrast to a 12.5 percent decline in July. This was the first increase since late 2014 and confounded expectations for a 5.4 percent drop.

The trade surplus came in at $52.05 billion versus July's $52.31 billion balance. The surplus was forecast to rise to $58.8 billion in August.

Looking ahead, a gradual recovery in global demand probably means some further upside to export growth in the coming quarters, Julian Evans-Pritchard at Capital Economics, said.

The economist said import growth should also pick up further on the back of stronger domestic demand and a further recovery in global commodity prices.

In yuan terms, exports increased 5.9 percent and imports advanced 10.8 percent from the same period last year.