Growing Chinese demand

China's likely trade deficit this month may not be enough to dissuade some Western people from insisting stubbornly that trade surplus countries should be blamed for the global imbalance as well as the predicaments of highly indebted rich countries.

But the first monthly trade deficit since May 2004, according to Minister of Commerce Chen Deming on Sunday, will speak volumes about the steady growth of China's contribution to global demand.

Thanks to the strong recovery of the Chinese economy, the country's imports have been increasing more rapidly than exports, which have been affected by a drop in demand from industrialized countries.