CHINA S exports and imports rose faster than expected to record highs in November, customs authorities said Friday, showing the world s second-largest economy was in robust condition.
The country s trade surplus shrank in November to US$22.9 billion, the data showed, but the decline is unlikely to ease U.S. pressure for a stronger currency when the two nations hold key economic talks this week in Washington.
The trade surplus stood at US$27.15 billion in October.
Exports increased 34.9 percent in November from a year earlier to US$153.3 billion, while imports rose 37.7 percent to US$130.4 billion, according to the data.
The increase in exports and imports trounced analyst forecasts for 22.4 percent growth, while the values were record highs for a single month, customs said on its Web site.
The data comes ahead of two days of key trade talks between China and the United States, at which China is likely to face renewed calls for it to allow its currency to trade more freely against the dollar.
Western critics charge that the yuan is undervalued by as much as 40 percent, making Chinese exports artificially cheap.
In a letter to Chinese Vice Premier Wang Qishan last week, 32 U.S. senators said it was imperative that both sides work together constructively to defuse major economic rows before President Hu Jintao s visit to Washington in January.(SD-Agencies)
