Imports bound for the Mainland were 3.2 percent higher last month than at the same time last year, the General Administration of Customs said on Tuesday.

The rising demand for imports continues from September, which saw a 2.2-percent increase in year-on-year terms.

Yuan-denominated exports fell by 3.2 percent in year-on-year terms last month, although that represented an improvement from the 5.6-percent decline in September, the Xinhua news agency reports.

Across the first 10 months of this year, the value of exports is down by 2 percent in year-on-year terms, while imports are down by 1.8 percent over the same period.

China’s trade surplus shrank by 2.6 percent year-on-year to 2.88 trillion yuan (US$424.89 billion), Xinhua reports.

Exports are likely to stabilise in the fourth quarter with the holiday season approaching, while imports may level off, the Ministry of Commerce wrote in its research.