BEIJING -- China tried to reduce its trade surplus with the U.S. by boosting imports from the world's largest economy, but the effort collapsed in the face of surging exports, sending the tally to a record high in the first half.
China's trade surplus with the U.S. climbed 14% on the year to $133.7 billion in the January-June period, China's General Administration of Customs said Friday. The record figure comes at at a time of escalating trade tensions. The U.S. has asked China, the world's No. 2 economy, to cut its trade surplus by $200 billion annually.
