BEIJING, Sept 08 (Xinhua): China's exports of goods rose 2.6 per cent year on year in August, while imports fell 2.6 per cent, customs data showed Sunday.
Trade surplus stood at 239.6 billion yuan (about 33.79 billion US dollars) last month, expanding 41.8 per cent from one year earlier, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
The country's exports grew 6.1 per cent year on year in the first eight months of the year, while imports edged up 0.8 per cent, leading to a trade surplus of 1.77 trillion yuan, widening 46 per cent during the period.
In US dollar-denominated terms, the country's exports edged up 0.4 per cent during the period, while imports declined 4.6 per cent from one year earlier.
The European Union remained as China's largest trading partner during the period, with bilateral trade volume up 9.7 per cent from one year earlier to 3.15 trillion yuan, followed by the ASEAN, up 11.7 per cent to 2.74 trillion yuan, and the United States, down 9 per cent to 2.42 trillion yuan.
China's trade with the Belt and Road countries totaled 5.83 trillion yuan for the January-August period, up 9.9 per cent year on year, 6.3 per centage points higher than the overall pace, said the GAC, adding that the amount accounted for 29 per cent of China's total trade volume.
The country's crude oil imports went up 9.6 per cent to 328 million tonnes during the period, while imports of coal and natural gas increased 8.1 per cent and 10.3 per cent respectively to 220 million tonnes and 63.04 million tonnes.
The soybean imports, however, fell 9.2 per cent from one year earlier to 56.32 million tonnes.
