China's trade surplus fell to 6.86 bln usd in March for its lowest level in just over a year, after a near-record performance in February 2007, on the back of slower growth of machinery exports, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.

The trade surplus in the first three months hit 46.44 bln usd, double the 23.31 bln recorded during the first quarter of 2006.

The January-March surplus is equivalent to just over a quarter of the 177.47 bln usd trade surplus recorded during 2006.

The monthly surplus was down sharply on the 23.76 bln usd surplus recorded in February, which was the second highest monthly surplus on record.

The March surplus was nearly half the 11.19 bln usd recorded a year earlier.

Exports of machinery, the largest export category, which includes everything from bicycles to mobile telephones, rose 28.5 pct to 114.56 bln usd in the first quarter compared with 38.4 pct in the first two months.

The customs administration did not provide a breakdown for March exports.

The fall in the quarterly surplus also stemmed in part from lower crude oil exports which were down 73.2 pct year-on-year at 648 mln usd, customs data suggest.

Exports of steel - the fastest growing category - were up 154.3 pct year-on-year in the first three months to 3.6 bln usd.

Exports rose 6.9 pct year-on-year in March to 83.43 bln usd while imports rose 14.5 pct to 76.56 bln usd.

Imports of automobiles and chassis reached 24,668 units in March, and 58,796 in the first quarter, up 16.6 pct year-on-year.

China also imported 20 aircraft in March and 55 in the first quarter, down 3.5 pct from a year earlier.

No comparative figures for March were provided.

Exports for the first three months were up 27.8 pct at 252.09 bln usd while imports rose 18.2 pct to 205.65 bln usd.