A surge in imports from China pushed the US trade gap sharply higher in May, adding to a stream of weak data for the Obama administration already under pressure over the economy and stagnant jobs market.
The trade deficit grew by 4.8 per cent to $42.3bn, according to commerce department figures, the highest since November 2008 and at odds with the consensus of economists, who forecast the gap would shrink in May.
Imports from China, which is the country's most politically sensitive trading partner, rose by nearly 12 per cent. That inflated the US trade gap with China by more than 15 per cent to $22.3bn, the biggest since last October.
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