* China exports fall for 2nd straight month in March * U.S. crude stocks rise, at a record on the Gulf coast -EIA * Libya's oil guards take control of Hariga port, Zueitina pending * Brent to fall to $107.17 -technicals (Updates prices, adds quotes, writes through) By Lin Noueihed LONDON, April 10 (Reuters) - Global oil prices slipped towards $107 a barrel on Thursday as Chinese data stoked concerns over demand growth in the world's second-largest economy while markets watched for evidence of a resumption in Libyan exports. The weekend agreement to open two ports in eastern Libya could mark the beginning of the end of a nine-month blockade of major oil terminals by a federalist group. Libya's state-run Petroleum Facilities Guard took full control of eastern-most Hariga oil port on Wednesday, but a spokesman said a handover had yet to happen at Zueitina port. Brent crude fell 41 cents to $107.57 a barrel by 0927 GMT, after gaining $2.16 over the past two days. U.S. crude fell 9 cents to $103.51. "Prices have come off a bit since hitting a resistance around $108 in recent days," said Christopher Bellew, trader at Jefferies Bache. "With the prospect of more Libyan oil coming out... that will bring us down again." The market has reacted more cautiously to news out of Libya, after previous promises of a speedy resumption in exports failed to materialise. Expectations of growing supply compounded concerns over weakening demand in China, where exports unexpectedly fell for the second straight month in March and imports dropped sharply, intensifying concerns about weak manufacturing and slowing growth in the world's second-largest economy. Crude imports by the world's second-largest oil consumer fell to a five-month low, but rose 2 percent versus a year earlier. "We are seeing a further pull-back in oil because China's trade numbers fell short of expectations," said Ben Le Brun, a market analyst at OptionsXpress in Sydney. "Overall, crude import numbers seem healthy and it shows that oil demand is still there, but oil is just one side of the story." The trade numbers add to a recent run of weak Chinese data this year that has raised fears the economy may be slowing more than had been expected. China's crude imports may remain sluggish in coming months because of high stockpiles, strong imports in the first two months of the year and maintenance at refineries. U.S. STOCKPILE Further losses in Brent futures were stemmed by optimism from the United States, where the Federal Reserve's policy meeting suggested the central bank may be more cautious towards raising interest rates, easing market concerns of a pullback in stimulus before the economy is ready. A steep fall in gasoline stockpiles in the United States also put a floor on oil prices, overshadowing a rise in overall crude stockpiles in the world's top consumer. Gasoline stocks fell by 5.2 million barrels to 210 million barrels in the week ending April 4, Energy Information Administration (EIA) data showed, more than the expected 729,000-barrel draw. Demand for gasoline was 4.4 percent higher than a year ago at 8.8 million barrels per day (bpd). Crude inventories rose 4 million barrels to 384 million barrels, much more than the 1.3-million-barrel build expected by analysts polled by Reuters. Analysts said the gasoline data helped to push the spread between Brent and U.S. crude, or WTI, to just over $4 a barrel on Thursday, its narrowest gap since September. "Our view is that the U.S. crude market is slack and that this will eventually feed through to WTI and the spread will widen," Gareth Lewis-Davies, senior energy strategist at BNP Paribas, said. (Additional reporting by Lin Noueihed; editing by Gopakumar Warrier and Keiron Henderson)

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