According to the Chinese customs authorities, in the first four months of the current year China's external trade volume totaled $1.1 trillion in value, up 28.5 percent year on year. Specifically, China's exports in January-April rose by 27.4 percent to $555.3 billion, while its imports climbed up in value by 29.6 percent to $545.02 billion, both compared to January-April 2010. Accordingly, China recorded a foreign trade surplus of $10.28 billion in the first four months of this year.
In April alone, China's external trade volume reached $299.95 billion, marking an increase of 25.9 percent year on year, including $155.69 billion of exports and $144.26 billion of imports. Thus, the trade surplus for the month was $11.43 billion.