BEIJING ? China’s export growth fell in October amid weak U.S. and European demand but its trade surplus with the United States widened, possibly fueling frictions with Washington.
Exports rose by a still-robust 15.9 percent to $157.5 billion, though that was down from September’s 17.1 percent, customs data showed Thursday. Imports gained 28.7 percent to $140.5 billion, up from the previous month’s 20.9 percent.
China’s global trade surplus for the month narrowed to $17 billion from $27.1 billion a year earlier.
But the surplus with the United States widened by 11.1 percent to $20 billion despite weak American consumer demand due to high unemployment.
That might fuel demands by some American lawmakers for possible sanctions on Chinese goods to compel Beijing to ease exchange-rate controls and other curbs that critics complain give China’s exporter an unfair advantage and hurt foreign competitors.
The data reflect the continued relative strength of China’s economy, which expanded by 9.1 percent in the three months ended September, while Europe’s debt crisis and high U.S. unemployment hurt demand for Chinese goods.
Other economies are looking to China to help drive global growth, though its high trade surplus means fewer of the gains are shared with other countries.
China’s import strength is a boost to exporters of iron ore and other commodities such as Australia and Brazil, Asian suppliers of industrial components and Western producers of factory equipment and consumer goods.
China’s trade surplus with the 27-nation European Union, its biggest trading partner, fell 10.3 percent from a year earlier to $13 billion.
China’s trade surpluses with its major Western export markets often are larger than its global surplus because the country runs large deficits with other countries that supply oil and other raw materials.
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