Imports fall prompts call for action

Decline of 15.2% seen in the first 10 months, with overseas consumption partly to blame

A sharp downturn in imports in the first 10 months of the year highlights the need to streamline regulation, trade specialists said on Sunday.

Imports from January to October fell by 15.2 percent year-on-year to 8.47 trillion yuan ($1.33 trillion), while Chinese tourists' overseas consumption grew at an annual rate of 25 percent from 2005 to last year.