China December Trade Surplus Second-largest Ever

China posted a trade surplus of 39 billion dollars in December, the second-highest ever, on a steep drop in imports, according to figures published in state media on Tuesday.

December exports totalled 111.2 billion dollars, a decline of 2.8 percent from a year earlier, the China Daily newspaper said, citing customs statistics.
 

Imports last month stood at 72.2 billion dollars, down 21.3 percent from a year ago, the paper said.