China’s total trade in December shrank much less than expected, but still likely consigned the economy to its weakest annual growth in 25 years. Exports in December fell 1.4 percent from a year earlier, data from the General Administration of Customs showed on Wednesday, much less than a Reuters poll forecast for an 8 percent drop and moderating from November’s 6.8 percent decline. The surprising data suggested that exports may be getting a boost from China’s decision to allow a sharp slide in the value of the yuan currency late last year, which has continued into 2016.