China's exports jump thanks to demand from India, Russia and other emerging markets

Hong Kong CNN — China registered a surprise jump in foreign trade at the start of the year, partly because of strong demand from Russia, India and emerging markets in Africa and Latin America. Exports from the world's second largest economy rose by 7.1% in the January-to-February period, beating the 1.9% growth forecast by a Reuters poll of economists. The growth is also significantly higher than the 2.3% gains recorded in December. China typically reports economic data for the first two months of the year together to avoid any distortions caused by the Lunar New Year holiday. Imports also beat…