Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


China-US Trade Surplus Up in 1st Quarter, Down in March

by Reuters

   BEIJING --

   China's trade surplus with the United States rose 19.4 percent in the
   first quarter to $58.25 billion from the same period a year earlier,
   customs said Friday.

   China's March trade surplus with the U.S. fell to $15.32 billion,
   according to Reuters calculations based on official data, compared with
   $20.96 billion for February.

   The data follows weeks of tit-for-tat tariff threats by Washington and
   Beijing, sparked by U.S. frustration with China's massive bilateral
   trade surplus and intellectual property policies, which have fueled
   fears of a global trade war.

   China's exports to the U.S. increased 14.8 percent from a year earlier
   in January-March period, spokesman Huang Songping told a briefing in
   Beijing, while imports from the U.S. also rose 8.9 percent.

   Customs has not yet released the data for March.