中国贸易顺差猛涨，但进口在增加

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: February 16, 2008

BEIJING (AP) — China’s trade surplus grew by 22.7 percent in January over the same month last year as foreign demand for exports stayed strong despite worries about slowing global growth, according to data reported Friday.

The figures from the official Xinhua news agency, however, showed imports to China growing faster than its exports. At $19.5 billion, the monthly trade gap was below $20 billion for the first time since April. In December, the gap totaled $22.7 billion, and in October it reached a monthly record of $27 billion.

Still, the latest figures appeared likely to fuel demands by China’s trading partners for action on trade barriers and currency controls. Some American lawmakers are calling for punitive tariffs on Chinese goods if Beijing fails to act quickly.

Exports in January rose 26.7 percent, to $109.7 billion, while imports grew by 27.6 percent, to $90.2 billion, according to Xinhua.

China has continued to rack up multibillion-dollar monthly surpluses despite government efforts to rein in exports of steel, plastics and other goods that it deems too polluting or too energy-intensive in manufacturing.

Economists say a slowing American economy might cut demand for Chinese goods slightly, but they still expect China to continue to run a large surplus with the United States.

The managing director of the International Monetary Fund said Friday that China might be hampered by a slowdown in the United States, but its economy should still expand by about 10 percent this year. That would be down from 11.4 percent growth in 2007. “While we are experiencing a decrease in growth in advanced economies, it is even more necessary than before to have a high level of growth in China,” said the I.M.F. official, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, who was in Beijing for meetings with Chinese leaders.