Nation becomes top US trade partner

China replaced Canada for the first time as the United States' top trade partner between January and September, figures from the US Department of Commerce showed.

Trade volume between China and the US hit $441.6 billion in the first three quarters of the year, surpassing the $438.1 billion in trade between Canada and the US, the Commerce Department reported on Wednesday in Washington.

The change mainly reflect-ed declining prices for commodities, such as crude oil. The value of US oil imports fell to the lowest level since 2004, and crude oil is Canada's largest export.