"The main reason behind the surprise drop in March exports is the yuan's recent strength," HSBC economist Ma Xiaoping was quoted as saying by the Wall Street Journal.
The slowdown comes amid interest rate cuts by the country's central bank over the past several months aimed at spurring economic growth, with expectations that similar measures will follow.
"China's government will continue to ease domestic conditions, with a further cut in interest rates imminent," Bloomberg economist Tom Orlik was cited by the Financial Times as saying.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, the General Administration of Customs spokesman said the numbers reflect a generally slow recovery from the 2008 global financial crisis.
"The domestic economy is facing increasing downward pressure as it enters a 'new normal'," Huang Songping was quoted as saying by the Financial Times, adding that volatile exports may continue throughout the second quarter of 2015.
The latest shakeup in the world's second biggest economy came against the backdrop of Monday's World Bank report revising China's growth forecast for this year downward by one-tenth of a percentage point to 7.1 percent.
