China’s trade surplus expanded in November to $US33.8 billion ($A37.31 billion) from $US31.1 billion in October.

Exports increased 12.7 per cent to $US202.2 billion from November last year, while imports were up 5.3 per cent year on year to $US168.4 billion, the General Administration of Customs said on Sunday.

The November surplus was considerably larger than a median forecast of $US21.7 billion in a poll of 11 economists in a survey by the Wall Street Journal reported by Dow Jones Newswires.

In the first 11 months of the year, China’s total trade, combining exports and imports, reached $US3.8 trillion, up 7.7 per cent from the same period last year, Customs said.

The government’s target for 2013 is eight per cent.