China’s September Trade Surplus Reaches $133.5 Billion

China’s trade surplus widened to $133.5 billion in September as exports surged 36.3% from a year earlier, far exceeding economists’ forecasts and putting the annual total on course to top last year’s record, customs data showed Wednesday. The surplus grew from $119.1 billion in August. Exports reached $447.18 billion, while imports rose 31% year over year to about $313.7 billion. The September surplus was substantially above economists’ pre-release expectations, which had centered on roughly $118 billion. For January through September, China recorded a trade surplus of about $938 billion, according to customs figures. That puts the full-year total on track to exceed the roughly $1.2 trillion record reported for last year, though the annual outcome remains a projection based on nine months of data. The export growth accelerated from 25% in August. Chinese officials and analysts have pointed to demand for technology products, including electronic components and computer hardware. Customs Vice Minister Wang Jun attributed support for the boom to those categories. The available figures do not quantify how much of the surplus reflects stronger exports compared with weaker imports.