China exports slow, but surplus widens

The trade surplus for the month totaled $13.5 billion, compared to April’s $11.4 billion.

China’s trade surplus for May expanded from April, though the pace of growth was slower than analysts’ expectations, as export growth cooled and imports accelerated.

Exports for the month were up 19.4% from a year earlier, easing from a 29.9% rise in April, and less than a 20.4% rise suggested by the Dow Jones survey.

Imports climbed 28.4%, faster than April’s 21.8% and above the survey’s expectation for a 22% gain.