BEIJING, Feb 11 (Reuters) - China's exports fell 17.5 percent in January from a year earlier, while imports fell 43.1 percent, accelerating their decline, the General Administration of Customs said on Wednesday.
The resulting trade surplus was $39.11 billion, compared with $39.0 billion in December and a record $40.1 billion in November, the customs administration said on its website (www.customs.gov.cn).
Economists had expected a $28.7 billion surplus based on a 10.8 percent fall in exports and a 28.5 percent drop in imports from year-earlier levels. [ID:nSP417886]
It was the third consecutive monthly decline in both exports and imports, which dropped in December by 2.8 percent and 21.3 percent, respectively.
The 12-month rolling surplus came to $315.1 billion, up from $295.46 billion for all of 2008.
Trade, in billions of dollars:
Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun Exp 90.5 111.2 115.0 128.3 136.4 134.9 136.7 121.5 Imp 51.3 72.2 74.9 93.1 107.1 106.2 111.4 100.2 Bal 39.1 39.0 40.1 35.2 29.3 28.7 25.3 21.4
Export and import growth (yr/yr % change):
Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun Exp -17.5 -2.8 -2.2 19.2 21.5 21.1 26.9 17.6 Imp -43.1 -21.3 -17.9 15.6 21.3 23.1 33.7 31.0
Rolling 12-month surplus, in billions of dollars:
Jan Dec Nov Oct Sep Aug Jul Jun Bal 315.1 295.5 278.7 265.0 257.3 251.9 248.7 249.1 (Reporting by Jason Subler; Editing by Ken Wills)