BEIJING, Aug 8 (Reuters) - China imported 9.73 million metric tons of soybeans in July, up 23.5% from a year ago, customs data showed on Tuesday.

Imports in the first seven months of the year by the world's top soybean buyer came to 62.3 million tons, up 15% from the year-ago period, the data showed. (Reporting by Ningwei Qin and Naveen Thukral; Editing by Edmund Klamann)