China's export growth gathered pace in April as factories raced to meet a wave of overseas orders from buyers seeking to stockpile components amid fears the Iran war could push global input costs even higher. Exports expanded 14.1% from a year earlier in U.S. dollar value terms, customs data showed on Saturday, outpacing the 2.5% gain in March and a 7.9% rise tipped by economists. Chinese exporters have so far weathered the fallout from the Middle East conflict, buoyed by overseas buyers scrambling to secure supplies, but economists warn that the longer the war drags on and energy prices rise, the greater the risk that external demand fades away -- leaving sluggish domestic consumption unable to plug the gap.