China behind global trade slowdown in 2015: World Bank

The slump in Chinese growth and its nascent economic transition was the key factor in a sharp slowdown last year in global trade, the World Bank said Wednesday. Trade, as measured by total merchandise import volumes, rose only 1.7 percent in 2015, down from 3.0 percent in 2014, the Bank said in a new report. Trade flows should continue to be volatile over the coming years, the report said, greatly determined by the pace of China's transformation.