China October Trade Surplus Smaller than Expected

China’s trade surplus narrowed to US$34.01 billion in October of 2018 from US$36.89 billion in the same month a year earlier. Imports jumped 21.4% year-on-year to US$131.83 billion while exports increased at a slower 15.6% to US$159.72 billion. The trade surplus with the US, China’s largest export market, narrowed to US$31.78 billion in October from a freah record high of US$34.13 billion in September. Over the first ten months of the year, the trade surplus came in at US$258.15 billion.