China trade surplus swells in March

Economists worry that the trade balance with China – which swelled to $20 billion in March from $11.2 billion a year ago, according to a survey conducted by Bloomberg News – may lead to an escalation of protectionist measures.
Already, the United States has taken offensive action against what the government believes are currency, piracy and subsidy issues, by levying duties on coated paper imports from China.
In addition, according to Bloomberg News, the U.S. government may file a World Trade Organization complaint against the Asian giant.
Currently the U.S. has two trade cases prepared against China, Bloomberg said, one involving pirated movie or music disks, the other involving China’s restrictions on the sale of foreign books and movies.
The Chinese government has expressed dissatisfaction with the tariffs and is considering its options.
The U.S. trade deficit with China reached a record $232.5 billion last year.