China’s trade gap with US nears record level despite Trump’s call for action

China’s trade surplus with the US widened to the second highest total on record, according to Chinese customs data released on Friday.

The trade gap between the world’s two largest economies has been a frequent cause of complaint for US President Donald Trump, who visited China last month.

The surplus recorded in the first 11 months of this year has already surpassed the total for the whole of 2016, according to the data released from China’s General Administration of Customs.

November’s trade gap rose to US$27.9 billion, up from US$26.6 billion the previous month, and was just shy of the record US$28.1 billion recorded in September.

China’s data was released at time when Washington is stepping up its pressure on Beijing to narrow the trade gap.

The US last week told the World Trade Organisation it opposed giving China market economy status, a move that will make Chinese products more vulnerable in anti-dumping cases.