BEIJING — China’s foreign trade is expected to register steady growth in the first quarter of 2019, with the growth of imports and exports accelerating earlier this month, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said on March 21.

Customs data showed the country’s goods trade surged 24.7 percent year-on-year in the first eight days of March.

China’s foreign trade saw rising momentum despite increasing external uncertainties, MOC spokesperson Gao Feng told a news conference.

During the first two months, the country’s foreign trade amounted to $622.72 billion, down 3.9 percent year-on-year.

Imports and exports usually fluctuate in the month when the Spring Festival falls according to historical data, the spokesperson said.

China’s goods trade rebounded strongly after the Spring Festival this year, customs data showed.

Foreign trade in the first two months was also influenced by the China-US trade frictions as some enterprises tended to front-load imports and exports in the second half of 2018, Gao said.