China's May trade data beat gloomy market expectations, figures from the customs administration showed on Sunday, with crude oil imports surging and U.S. demand for Chinese exports offsetting lacklustre shipments to Europe.

Annual growth of 12.7 percent in imports last month also exceeded expectations of a 5.0 percent increase in a Reuters poll, and were well above the 0.3 percent annual rise in April.

Both exports and imports hit record highs in value terms.

Copper imports - normally an indicator of economic activity - were surprisingly strong and crude oil imports hit an all-time high of 6 billion barrels a day.

http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/06/10/china-economy-trade-idINL3E8HA01K20120610