Merchandise trade in US$ billion (Customs data)
Seasonally adjusted data at current prices and exchange rates
Exports were up 3% in China (to US$ 420 billion). But with imports rising at 9% (to US$ 379 billion), China’s trade surplus fell by US$ 17 billion to US$ 41 billion. In the United States the trade deficit decreased to US$ 152 billion, compared to US$ 160 billion in the third quarter, as exports grew by 5% and imports by 1%.
Germany’s trade surplus increased by US$ 10 billion in the fourth quarter of 2010 to reach US$ 54 billion, as export growth of 7% outpaced import growth of 4%. Double-digit export growth in Russia (19%) and South Africa (14%) also led to large increases in these countries’ trade surplus. In India export growth of 21% resulted in a significant decrease in the trade deficit.
Imports grew at a faster pace than exports in France (5% for imports versus 2% for exports), Italy (9% vs 7%), Japan (5% vs 4%), the United Kingdom (9% vs 5%) and Brazil (4% vs 1%). In Canada exports grew by 6% compared to 3% for imports, resulting in a small trade surplus, the first since the third quarter of 2009.
