China's imports in August rose for the first time in nearly two years while the decline in exports decelerated, signaling that government measures to stabilize growth may have taken effect, experts said on Thursday.

Dollar-denominated imports beat expectations to increase by 1.5 percent year-on-year, reversing a 12.5 percent slump in July.

Exports in dollar terms fell 2.8 percent year-on-year, the slowest pace in four months, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.