China's August exports up 34.4%, imports rise 35.2%

BEIJING - China's exports increased 34.4 percent in August from a year earlier to $139.3 billion, but the pace of growth slowed from July's 38.1 percent surge, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said Friday.

The country's imports rose 35.2 percent year-on-year to reach $119.27 billion last month, with the growth rate up 12.5 percentage points from that in July.

China's trade surplus for the first eight months of the year totaled $103.9 billion, down 14.6 percent from the same period last year, the GAC said.