China: trade surplus +6,4% in August, but imports drop surprisingly

China's trade balance improves. In August the surplus increased by 6,4% on a quarterly basis, at $26,7 billion. According to the numbers released by the Customs Office, the result can be explained by a increase in exports (+ 2,7 %, at 178 billion, slightly below the +3% expected) compared to the equivalent drop in imports: -2,6%, to 151,3 billion. The latter figure is the most surprising, considering that economists had estimated growth of 3,5%. For the whole of 2011, Beijing's exports increased by 20,3% and imports by 24,9%.