May trade surplus up 73%

China's trade surplus jumped 73% in May from a year earlier, prompting speculation of increased political pressure on Beijing. According to figures from the General Adiminstration of Customs, the May surplus was US$22.45 billion, the South China Morning Post reported. Exports in May jumpped 28.7% year on year to US$94 billion and imports climbed 19.1% to US$71.6 billion. The total trade surplus between January and May was US$85.72 billion, up 83.2% from the same period in 2006. The latest figures may lead to more tension with the United States, which wants China to allow its currency to rise faster and reduce the trade imbalance. London-based Capital Economics told the newspaper that the rise in the surplus could surpass US$320 billion this year, 10 times what it was in 2004. Trade between China and the US totalled US$115.17 billion through the first five months of the year.