China's exports beat forecasts in July, as manufacturers made the most of a fragile tariff truce between Beijing and Washington to ship goods ahead of a looming deadline later this month. Outbound shipments from the world's second-largest economy rose 7.2 per cent year-on-year in July, customs data showed on Thursday, beating a forecast 5.4 per cent increase in a Reuters poll and June's 5.8 per cent growth. Imports grew 4.1 per cent, following a 1.1 per cent rise in June. Economists had predicted a 1.0 per cent fall. China is facing an Aug 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with the US administration, ... (full story)