China's exports plummeted 25.7 percent year-on-year in February, the fourth straight monthly decline, as global demand shrank, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday.

Exports contracted for the fourth month in a row to US$64.90 billion, while imports slumped 24.1 percent to US$60.05 billion.

The surplus narrowed to US$4.84 billion, less than one-seventh of the figure for January.

"Such a drastic fall in exports is rare, showing the severity of the impact of the global downturn, "said Zhuang Jian, senior economist with the Asian Development Bank.

He said as the global downturn had not bottomed out, external demand would continue to weaken throughout the year.

The grim statistics hit Chinese shares, which closed 0.91 percent lower on Wednesday, halting an early rally.

Eye-catching surplus data

While China was "psychologically prepared" for the export slump, said Zuo Xiaolei, chief economist with Galaxy Securities, the narrowing of the trade surplus was eye-catching.

"The slumping trade surplus, which is very bad for economic growth, tells us that we can't pin too much hope on trade to meet the eight percent growth target for this year," she said.

Total foreign trade was US$124.95 billion last month, down 24.9 percent year-on-year.

Processing trade, which comprised more than half of the total, declined much faster than general trade, the customs agency said.

Imports would certainly fall, as exporters scaled back orders of raw material because of diminishing processing trade, said Tang Min, deputy secretary general of the China Development Research Foundation.

Commodity trade hit

Commodities became the biggest victim in February exports, as global downturn sapped demand for raw materials, whose prices have nose-dived since last year.