China's exports declined unexpectedly in March, while imports grew more-than-expected, according to rttnews.

In dollar terms, exports fell 2.7 percent year-over-year in March, confounding economists' forecast for a notable increase of 11.8 percent.

Meanwhile, imports surged 14.4 percent in March from a year ago, faster than the expected spike of 12.0 percent.

The trade deficit came in at $4.98 billion in March, in contrast to the expected surplus of $27.5 billion.