United States exports to China, which have been growing in recent years, increased 4.5 percent in June, narrowing the trade deficit between the world's two largest economies, according to US Commerce Department figures released on Tuesday.
Exports to China -- one of the fastest-growing markets for US goods -- were up 4.2 percent for the first half, the new data show.
Guo Feng, a senior economist at the Institute of International Finance, said that US-China trade dynamics were affected by China's currency rate and increases in certain categories of US goods in June.
The Chinese interbank cash crunch in June may have had some negative impact on exporters, and China increased imports from the US of goods such as machinery and agricultural products in June,"he added.
The yuan has appreciated by 1 percent against the dollar since the beginning of 2013.
The new US trade figures show imports from China fell 2.2 percent, lowering the contentious US trade deficit with China to $26.6 billion from $27.9 billion in May.
China remained the US' third-largest export market after Canada and Mexico, purchasing nearly $110 billion in US goods in 2012, according to the Washington-based US-China Business Council, which represents more than 200 US companies doing business in China.
