China's exports up 46% in Feb

The increase was higher than analysts' expectations of a rise of between 35 percent and 40 percent.It is likely to increase pressure on the Chinese government to raise the value of the yuan, which the US in particular complains is undervalued. China's imports also rose strongly, increasing by 44.7 percent last month.

The big growth in imports was helped by the government's economic stimulus spending. The rise in imports reduced China's trade surplus to a one-year low of $7.6bn (£5bn) for February. Beijing had kept the yuan at the same level against the US dollar for 18 months, to help its exporters.