China has recorded its second highest trade surplus on record, ensuring a massive full-year figure that will further aggravate tensions with the US and Europe.
The politically sensitive surplus hit $24.97 billion in August, a 32.82% increase over the same month last year, according to customs data.
The August numbers bring the surplus for the first eight months of the year to $161.76 billion, within striking distance of 2006's record full-year surplus of $177.47 billion dollars with four months still left in 2007.
The August surplus was lower than June's all-time record of $26.91 billionbut slightly higher than July's $24.36 billion.
The surplus came amid strong increases in both exports and imports.
Exports hit $111.36 billion for the month, up 22.7% compared with the same period last year.
Meanwhile, imports were up 20.1%, reaching $86.38 billion.
The announcement of a stubbornly high surplus comes amid growing foreign international concern over China's trade balance, which has triggered fears the Asian giant's export machine is costing millions of jobs elsewhere.
Members of the US Congress are already threatening new legislation that would punish China if it did not allow its currency, the yuan, to strengthen.
China has repeatedly said that it will carry out currency reform at its own pace but will not be pressured by others to speed up changes in the exchange rate.
