Italy's exports grew 2.3 percent in January from the previous month, pushed by a rise in trade within the European Union (EU) as well as with China, Italy's National Statistics Institute reported Friday. The institute, best known by its Italian initials ISTAT, said that the country's exports with its EU trading partners grew 4 percent in January compared to December. It also pointed out that trade with China was a bright spot among its non-EU trading partners, with sales to China surging 29.2 percent compared to the previous month.
However, ISTAT said that the country's overall exports for January were down 8.5 percent compared with the same period last year. Clothing, one of the worst-performing exports sectors, declined by 23.1 percent and refined petroleum products went down by 36.5 percent. The best performing sectors included motor vehicle sales, up by 6.5 percent, electrical appliances, up by 5.3 percent, and agricultural products which improved by 8.4 percent. Italy's overall trade balance for January was positive, totaling 1.587 billion euros (1.893 billion U.S. dollars), ISTAT said.