BEIJING, Sept 11 (Reuters) - China's exports fell 23.4 percent in August from a year earlier, while imports fell 17.0 percent, the General Administration of Customs said on Friday.
The trade surplus last month was $15.7 billion, compared with $10.6 billion in July and $8.2 billion in June.
Economists had expected a $12.9 billion surplus based on a 19.6 percent fall in exports and a 10.0 percent drop in imports from year-earlier levels.
After calendar adjustments for the number of working days, exports rose 3.4 percent in August from July and imports rose 1.0 percent, Customs said.
From a year earlier, exports and imports were flat in calendar-adjusted terms, the agency said.
Trade, in billions of dollars:
Aug July June May Apr Mar Feb Jan Exp 103.7 105.4 95.4 88.8 91.9 90.3 64.9 90.5 Imp 88.0 94.8 87.2 75.4 78.8 71.7 60.1 51.3 Bal 15.7 10.6 8.2 13.4 13.1 18.6 4.8 39.1
Export and import growth (yr/yr % change):
Aug July June May Apr Mar Feb Jan Exp -23.4 -23.0 -21.4 -26.4 -22.6 -17.1 -25.7 -17.5 Imp -17.0 -14.9 -13.2 -25.2 -23.0 -25.1 -24.1 -43.1
Rolling 12-month surplus, in billions of dollars:
Aug July June May Apr Mar Feb Jan Bal 267.1 280.1 294.8 308.0 314.8 318.3 311.3 315.1 (Reporting by Zhou Xin and Simon Rabinovitch; Writing by Jason Subler; Editing by Ken Wills)