Foreign trade US$1.2 trillion

China's foreign trade totaled more than US$1.2 trillion during the first 11 months of 2005, a 23.5% rise over the same period in 2004, the government has announced. According to customs statistics, exports from January through November were US$686.5 billion, while imports amounted to US$595.7 billion, for a total of US$1.28 trillion. The country's trade surplus hit a record US$90.8 billion for the 11-month period. The continued surge in China's exports is likely to fuel US and European claims that the yuan is artificially low, unfairly making exports cheaper.