Exports rose 17.9 per cent in June from a year earlier to a monthly record high $US161.98bn, data from the General Administration of Customs showed.
Imports rose 19.3 per cent in June from a year earlier to $US139.7 billion, down from the 28.4 per cent rise in May and missing the economists' median forecast of a 26.8 per cent increase.
Lower global commodities prices played a key role in the slowdown of imports.