The US trade deficit with China increased sharply in May, even as America’s trade gap as a whole dropped, underscoring the economic tensions between the world’s two biggest economies.
The US Commerce Department said Friday that the May trade deficit — the difference between what the US exports and what it imports — fell 6.6 percent to $43.1 billion, the smallest imbalance since October 2016.
Exports climbed 1.9 percent to a record $215.3 billion. Imports were up a smaller 0.4 percent to $258.4 billion.
However, America’s deficit in goods with China rose 18.7 percent to $33.2 billion. So far this year the deficit totals $152.2 billion, up 9.9 percent from the same period a year ago.
As has been the case for decades, America’s deficit with China is the largest imbalance with any country.
China’s trade surplus increase with the US in May topped expectations, possibly as its exporters and big American customers rushed to beat US…