Total exports shrank 18.2 per cent in value year on year last month, the slowest rate of decline so far this year, according to government data.
Many economists had feared exports would drop by 23.6 per cent in April after a 21.1 per cent drop in March. But there are hopeful signs of an end to the economic downturn, with anecdotal evidence from some local factories in the Pearl River Delta that smaller orders are starting to trickle in.
Trade performance is the primary indicator of the economic health of Hong Kong.
'The rate of decline narrowed somewhat in April, mainly reflecting the smaller fall in exports to the mainland,' a government spokesman said.
'It will take several more months of data to see if this trend of relative improvement will continue. Going forward, the external environment will remain challenging.'
The decline in imports also eased last month, falling 17 per cent year on year compared with 22.7 per cent in March.
