China August trade surplus up 77.8% on-year at record $49.8bn

China's trade surplus surged 77.8 percent to a record $49.8 billion in August, official data showed Monday, as exports rose while imports showed a surprise decline.
Exports increased 9.4 percent year-on-year to $208.5 billion, the General Administration of Customs announced, while imports fell 2.4 percent to $158.6 billion.
The surplus bested the previous all-time high of $47.3 billion recorded last month.
It also exceeded the median forecast of $42 billion in a Wall Street Journal survey of 15 economists.
Export growth slowed from July's gain of 14.5 percent, but beat the median expectation of a gain of 9.2 percent.
Imports, which had declined 1.6 percent in July, worsened further in August and failed to match the median forecast of a 2.7 percent increase.