China's exports sink, but factory investment rises

China's exports slumped for the sixth straight month amid warnings that weak overseas demand was hindering a recovery, even as government spending helped boost factory investment.

The 22.6 percent drop in exports in April from a year earlier, to $91.9 billion, was bigger than March's 17 percent drop and larger than forecasts. It suggests China's trade sector has seen scant relief from the prolonged drought in demand brought on by the global downturn.

"These figures show we cannot be optimistic about the future trends for exports," the Commerce Ministry said in a statement posted on its Web site that amounted to a lament over the lack of a …