China's exports increased 34.4 percent in August from a year earlier to US$139.3 billion, but the pace of growth slowed from July's 38.1-percent surge, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said Friday.

The country's imports rose 35.2 percent year on year to reach US$119.27 billion last month, with the growth rate up 12.5 percentage points from that in July.

China's foreign trade in the first eight months totaled US$1.88 trillion, a year-on-year increase of 40 percent, the GAC said in a statement on its website.

Trade surplus for the first eight months of the year totaled US$103.9 billion, down 14.6 percent from the same period last year, it said.

Trade with the European Union, China's largest trade partner, jumped 36.2 percent year on year to US$305.81 billion in the January-August period, the GAC said.

Trade with the United States climbed 32 percent to US$242.61 billion during the period while that with Japan rose 34.8 percent to hit US$186.89 billion.

During the first eight months, China's iron ore imports inched up 0.1 percent year on year to 410 million tonnes while the average import price surged 55.1 percent to US$118.6 per tonne.

(Xinhua News Agency September 10, 2010)