China's exports in yuan-denominated terms rose 15 percent year on year in the first half of this year while imports increased 25.7 percent, leaving a surplus of 1.28 trillion yuan (188 billion US dollars), according to General Administration of Customs data released on Thursday.

The Chinese economy in the first half of the year was stable, said Huang Songping, spokesperson for the customs authority, at a press conference. He added that the economy is expected to continue growing in the second half.

Huang Songping, spokesman for the General Administration of Customs, at a press conference in Beijing‍ on July 13. /China.com Photo

Huang also said that China has been strictly implementing a ban on coal imports from the DPRK introduced on February 18 following missile tests by the country.

Chinese purchases of DPRK coal declined nearly 75 percent year on year in the first half of 2017, official data showed. Huang said that all the purchases of DPRK coal came before February 18.

Huang Songping (R), spokesman for the General Administration of Customs, speaks at a press conference in Beijing‍ on July 13. /VCG Photo

The United States has been pressuring China to rein in in its neighbor through means including economic sanctions.

China’s overall trade with the DPRK expanded by 10.5 percent in the first six months of the year, but imports from the DPRK dropped 13.2 percent, with the import figure declining every month since March.

The increase in overall trade is mostly explained by products that are not included on the United Nations embargo list such as textiles and other traditional labor-intensive goods, according to Huang.