The value of China's foreign trade in the first 11 months of the year has surpassed that of the whole of 2006, the General Administration of Customs.

    The growth rate of exports rose again but the trade surplus fell slightly due to a faster jump in imports. But the pressure remained heavy on the yuan to appreciate further, analysts said.

    China's foreign trade value totaled US$1.97 trillion through November, a 23.6-percent increase from a year earlier and more than the US$1.76-trillion for the whole of last year.

    In November alone, foreign trade rose 23.9 percent to US$208.9 billion. Exports jumped 22.8 percent year on year to US$117.6 billion while imports climbed 25.3 percent to US$91.3 billion.

    The export growth rate edged up 0.5 percentage point from that of October, which dipped a bit from a month earlier, while imports reached a record high. Trade surplus in November of US$26.3 billion, is slightly less than US$27.05 billion in October.

    "The slowdown of the US economy has prompted China to expand exports to other markets such as the European Union and ASEAN countries," said Shen Minggao, an economist with the Citigroup.

    "Currency appreciation could also have led to a change in China's trade pattern. If the trends continue, the growth of China's trade surplus would moderate gradually."

    Combined exports in the first 11 months expanded 26.1 percent to US$1.103 trillion while imports soared 20.5 percent to US$865.4 billion.

    The trade surplus through November widened 52.2 percent year on year to US$238.1 billion.

    The EU remained China's biggest trade partner through November with bilateral trade of US$322.7 billion, followed by the United States with US$276.2 billion and Japan with US$213.8 billion.

    The National Development and Reform Commission, China's top planner, has forecast earlier the trade surplus will grow to between US$250 billion and US$300 billion this year.

    The soaring trade surplus has flooded the economy with cash and increased pressure from the US and Europe for the yuan to appreciate further.

    The yuan has gained more than 10 percent since the US dollar link was scrapped in July 2005 and ended at 7.379 Tuesday.

    Standard Chartered has estimated earlier the exchange rate will grow to 6.84 yuan per US dollar in one year.