China's exports rose 8 per cent in April as new U.S. tariffs took effect

China has reported that its exports rose 8.1 per cent in April from the year before in the tail end of a rush by companies and consumers to beat higher U.S. tariffs that took effect last month. Imports fell 0.2 per cent from the year before. On a monthly basis, exports rose just 0.6 per cent from March, while imports increased by nearly 4 per cent. China's politically sensitive trade surplus with the United States was nearly $20.5-billion in April. In the first four months of the year, exports to the United States were down 2.5 per cent from a…