China’s Record Trade Surplus Highlights Weak Domestic Demand

China registered a record trade surplus in January as imports plunged on falling commodity prices and weak domestic demand.

Imports fell by the most in more than five years, declining 19.9 percent from a year earlier, the customs administration in Beijing said Sunday. That compared with estimates for a 3.2 percent drop in a Bloomberg survey of analysts. Exports slid 3.3 percent, leaving a trade surplus of $60 billion.