China's trade surplus with the US grew in 2018 but tariffs bite

Chinese exports and imports fell last month, indicating US tariffs are beginning to impact the world's number two economy. [Photo: AFP]

China's trade surplus with the United States widened last year, data showed Monday, while the country's imports and exports fell in December as the long-running trade war begins to bite in the world's number two economy.

The surplus with the US is a major source of anger within the Trump administration, which imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of Chinese goods last year and has warned of more to come.