China says its politically volatile trade surplus with the United States grew to an estimated US$53.2 billion in the first 11 months of 2003 — less than half the size of the gap predicted by Washington, according to official figures released Sunday.

The increase came as China's two-way trade with the United States grew by more than 29 per cent in the same period to US$113.8 billion, according to the figures. China says the United States is its second-largest trading partner after Japan.

U.S. officials say the American trade deficit with China is expected to surpass US$120 billion for 2003.

The American figures include Chinese exports shipped to the United States via Hong Kong — goods that are excluded from Beijing's own calculations. Hong Kong is Chinese territory, but Beijing treats it as a foreign region for trade and customs.

Washington complains that the trade gap is partly due to Beijing's failure to meet market-opening commitments made when it joined the World Trade Organization.

Beijing has sent two multibillion-dollar buying missions to the United States in recent months in hopes of easing growing political tensions. It has purchased jetliners, soybeans and other goods.

Also, China's two-way trade with Japan grew by nearly 31 per cent in the first 11 months of 2003 to US$119.9 billion, according to the figures released by the General Administration of Customs.

They showed that China ran a US$14.4 billion deficit with Japan during that time.

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