BEIJING -- China's February trade surplus soared nearly tenfold compared to the same month last year, hitting US$23.76 billion, the General Administration of Customs said on Monday.

While exports in February were 51.7 percent higher than a year earlier,imports rose only 13.1 percent, less than half the previous month's growth rate.

Exports hit US$82.1 billion in February, while imports were valued at US$58.34 billion for the month.

The country's total trade volume in February reached US$140.44 billion, up 32.9 percent from a year earlier, according to latest figures from the administration.

The trade surplus for February was nearly 50-percent higher than it was in January, when it had reach US$15.88 billion, which was off more than 20 percent from last December.

The country's trade surplus in February 2006 was only US$2.45 billion.

A higher valued yuan has in the short term meant increased revenues for exporters, while imported primary products, which were less costly, led to a slower rise in the value of imports, said Mei Xinyu, a research fellow with the International Trade and Economic Cooperation Research Institute under the Ministry of Commerce.

The value of the Chinese currency against the US dollar hit a new high last Thursday with the central parity rate reaching 7.7386 yuan to the dollar.

As of Monday the yuan had gained 613 basis points since the beginning of 2007. On December 29, 2006 it closed at 7.8087 yuan against the dollar.

Monday's Shanghai Securities Journal quoted Minister of Commerce Bo Xilai as saying the country would take further steps to rein in China's surging trade surplus this year. The publication didn't say what steps might be taken.

It will take time for China to gradually address its trade imbalance on the international market, said Chinese top banker Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the central bank, at a press conference here on Monday.

Last year, China's trade surplus jumped 74 percent year on year to reach US$177.47 billion.

The country's top trading partner, the European Union, saw its trade with China reach US$51.08 billion in the first two months of 2007, up 42.7 percent from the same period of last year, the customs data show.

The United States was second with trade volume reaching US$43.86 billion, followed by Japan and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Guangdong Province, southern China's economic powerhouse, reported foreign trade volume of US$83.55 billion in January and February, accounting for 28.1 percent of the nation's trade volume, the highest of any provinces.