Today's article in the BBC: China's exports and imports rebounded in April, helping allay some fears about a slowdown in its economy.

Exports rose 0.9% from a year earlier, after falling for two straight months. The data come as China is looking to move its economy away from an export and investment-led growth model to one driven by domestic consumption. Some analysts said the latest numbers were likely to provide a boost to policymakers, not least because there have been concerns that the world's second-largest economy may see its growth slow amid the rebalancing efforts. "The external demand side is not such a big problem for China now, because the genuine recovery is there," said Wei Yao, China economist at Societe Generale in Hong Kong.

Earlier this year, China launched a free-trade zone in Shanghai. The zone is widely seen as a test bed for reforms in key areas of the economy, such as the financial and telecom sectors which previously were tightly controlled by the government. Analysts have said that opening up these areas is key to sustaining China's long term economic growth.