With president Hu Jintao off to the US next week and vice-premier Li Keqiang touring Europe right now, the latest set of trade numbers from China might have been designed to reduce the political tensions around the country’s economy. With perfect timing, Beijing on Monday announced a trade surplus for December of just $13.1bn, well below economists’ predictions and November’s $22.9bn. And, as Chinese officials proudly pointed out, the annual surplus of $183.1bn was down 6.4 per cent, the second yearly drop in a row. It won’t stop the US and European states campaigning for renminbi appreciation – but it gives Chinese leaders a little ammunition.
在中國國家主席胡錦濤將于下周訪美、國務院副總理李克強目前正在歐洲訪問之際，中國最新發(fā)布的貿(mào)易數(shù)據(jù)或許是經(jīng)過事先設計的，目的是減輕圍繞中國經(jīng)濟的政治緊張局勢。