China's trade surplus jumps 15% in August

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-10 21:01

BEIJING - China's trade surplus in August rose 14.9 percent from a year earlier, as imports growth decelerated sharply on lower commodities prices.

The surplus last month was US$28.69 billion, posting gains for the second month in a row. The figure was US$25.28 billion in July and US$24.97 billion last August.

Exports in August jumped 21.1 percent to US$134.87 billion, compared with 26.9 percent in July. Imports climbed 23.1 to US$106.18 billion, down from 33.7 percent in July, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday.

"Exports growth decelerated, but imports posted a much bigger slowdown as commodities prices and shipping rates slumped," an official with the Ministry of Commerce told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. "This is the main reason for the jump in the surplus."

The slower advance in the Chinese currency against the US dollar also contributed to the surge.

"The yuan remained almost steady against the US dollar since July. This can help exports while giving no further incentives to imports."

In the first eight months, the exports growth slowed on faltering demand from the European Union and Japan, despite a small acceleration in shipments to the US

Exports to the US climbed 10.6 percent from January to August, compared with 9.9 percent in the seven months to July.

"The exports prospects might not be as gloomy as some others claimed," said Mei Xinyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation, a government think tank under the Ministry of Commerce.

"Traditional industries posted slower exports growth, but industries like the electro-mechanical sector reported robust expansion," Mei told Xinhua. "China-made goods are still very competitive on the overseas market."

Overseas shipments of electro-mechanical products soared 24.7 percent to US$538.65 billion. Exports of garments and accessories edged up 2.6 percent to US$75.03 billion.

The trade gap narrowed 6.2 percent annually to US$151.99 billion in the first eight months of the year.

Exports increased 22.4 percent to US$937.69 billion during the January-August period and imports were up 30 percent to US$785.69 billion.

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