China?s trade surplus surged in March, sharply illustrating US concerns about its swelling bilateral deficit days before Hu Jintao, China?s president, travels to Washington for a summit meeting with President George W. Bush.

The March surplus of US$11.2bn, more than double the amount for the same month last year, and the largest since October, is a sign that China is on track to match and perhaps surpass the 2005 record surplus of US$102bn.