(Yicai Global) April 14 -- China's mainland stock markets continued to move higher in the afternoon as investors gained confidence after a fresh release of first-quarter economic data confirmed recovery.

All the three main stock benchmarks rose. The Shanghai Composite Index climbed 1.59 percent to 2,827.88. The Shenzhen Component Index ended 2.47 percent up at 10,475.71. The ChiNext Price Index, which tracks growth enterprises listed in Shenzhen, gained 3.24 percent to 1,985.43.

In the first quarter, China's trade surplus fell by 81 percent to CNY98.3 billion (USD14 billion) from a year ago, according to official numbers that were within market expectations, still improving significantly from last month.

In March, the total trade volume was CNY2.45 trillion (USD350 billion), down almost 1 percent from a year earlier. That was still better than the nearly 10 percent drop in the January-February period from a year ago. 

Editor: Emmi Laine