China’s surplus with US hits new record in Nov

China’s trade surplus with the US ballooned to a record $35.6 billion in November, official data showed on Saturday, as exports across the Pacific remained strong despite a raft of US tariffs while imports shrank.

Relations between the world’s top two economies continue to be tense despite a trade war truce struck between US President Trump and his counterpart President Xi Jinping last week.

Trump and figures in his administration have said China would start buying US goods in bulk, but Beijing has refrained from confirming those claims.

The increasingly lopsided trade in goods between the two nations threatens to further derail prospects for a trade deal during a 90-day negotiation period.

The ballooning trade deficit with China is a particularly sore point for Trump, who campaigned on turning around the situation. China’s exports to the US rose 9.8% for November on-year, while imports for the month fell 25% on-year, the data from China’s customs administration showed.