Beijing: China recorded a better-than-expected trade surplus of $45.41 billion in October, expanding 46.3 percent from the same month last year, the General Administration of Customs said on Saturday.
Exports jumped 11.6 percent year-on-year to $206.87 billion in October, while imports rose 4.6 percent to $161.46 billion, it said.
The trade surplus last month exceeded market expectations for a $42.3 billion surplus, according to a survey of 11 economists polled by The Wall Street Journal.
October`s surplus also widened from the $31.0 billion recorded in September, though it was off the record $49.8 billion recorded in August, previous figures showed.
Export growth slowed in October from a 15.3 percent year-on-year rise in September, in what could be a worrisome sign for the world`s second largest economy. Exports are a key engine of China`s economic growth, which has faltered this year.
Import growth remained weak in October, slowing from 7.0 in September.
China`s economy grew an annual 7.3 percent in the third quarter, the slowest in more than five years since the global crisis struck in early 2009.
The country`s economy has been hit by a deflating property bubble as well as a government crackdown on corruption and weak demand from Europe.
The government has set an economic growth target of around 7.5 percent for this year.
