In the first half of 2010, China's exports rose 35.2 percent year on year to reach $705.09 billion while imports totaled $649.79 billion, up 52.7 percent, said the General Administration of Customs (GAC). The trade surplus fell by 42.5 percent from a year earlier to $55.3 billion.

The June exports increased 43.9 percent to $137.4 billion while imports stood at $117.37 billion, up 34.1 percent.

From January to June, the European Union and the United States were China's top two trade partners, and Japan replaced the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as the third largest.

The export sector is gaining momentum from the recovering world economy despite the European debt crisis, said Zhu Jianfang, chief economist at the CITIC Securities Co. Ltd.

But the June figure ran up in part because exporters pushed through deals before July 15 when the government removes the tax rebates for six categories of goods including steel and chemicals, said Zhu.