Imports meanwhile declined 1.4 percent, following the previous month's 1.9 percent drop. That brought the October trade surplus to $49.06 billion, versus September's $41.99 billion.

Asian equity markets were little changed following the data. Shanghai and Hong Kong stocks were modestly higher, while the Australian dollar, which closely tracks Chinese data given strong economic links between Australia and China, edged down 0.4 percent against the greenback.

A weakening yuan likely helped explain the monthly improvement in October exports. Reuters data showed the dollar has risen more than 1.6 percent against the yuan over the past 30 days and foreign exchange strategists expect more depreciation ahead in anticipation of a stronger greenback, setting the stage for a brighter fourth-quarter trade performance.

"Beijing may be using a weaker currency to help prop up its faltering economy...Results of the U.S. presidential election would not alter much of the yuan depreciation trend," analysts at DBS said in a Tuesday report.

But the country's Commerce Ministry holds a downcast outlook. In a statement on its website last week, officials warned that foreign trade would face downward pressure in the fourth quarter and potentially into 2017.

While Tuesday's numbers still underscored the fragile nature of global demand for Chinese products, strategists still believed the world's number-two economy was improving.



"If we look at the series of numbers coming out from China over the past 5-6 months, the trend is getting better," Ayaz Ebrahim, head of Asia Pacific asset allocation, EM and APAC equities team, at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, told CNBC's "Street Signs."