BEIJING — China’s trade surplus with the United States hit a record $34.1 billion last month, according to official figures released in Beijing on Friday, news that is likely to further inflame the trade dispute with the United States.
The increase was driven by a 13 percent increase in Chinese exports to the United States in September, according to customs office data. This came despite the Trump administration slapping tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods in the middle of the month, which prompted Beijing to retaliate with tariffs on $60 billion worth of American goods.
This appears to have had some impact on Chinese imports of American products, which dropped by 9 percent last month.
Overall, China’s trade surplus with the United States stood at $226 billion for the first nine months of the year, up from $196 billion in the same period of 2017.
