M`SIA CHALKS UP US$3.61 BLN TRADE SURPLUS IN AUGUST

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia recorded RM12.65 billion (US$3.61
billion) in trade surplus in August, making it the 130th consecutive month of
monthly trade surplus for the country since November 1997.

Total trade in August amounted to RM106.51 billion (US$30.43 billion), up
7.7 percent from a year ago, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry
(MITI) said in a statement Wednesday.

Exports in August expanded by 10.6 percent to RM59.58 billion (US$17
billion) on the back of a stronger performance by commodities such as palm oil,
liquefied natural gas, refined petroleum products and crude petroleum.

Other products that supported the export growth were processed food,
chemical and chemical products as well as rubber products, MITI said in
releasing its preliminary external trade statistics.

Imports rose 4.2 percent from a year ago to RM46.93 billion (US$13.40
billion).

For the January-August period, trade surged 12.7 percent to RM805.18
billion
(US$230 billion) compared with the same period in 2007.

Between January and August, exports soared 16.1 percent to RM449.86 billion
(US$128.53 billion), while imports expanded by 8.7 percent to RM355.33 billion,
(US$101.52 billion) resulting in RM94.43 billion (US$26.98 billion) trade
surplus.

Singapore, the United States, China, Japan and Thailand were the top five
export destinations, accounting for 52.2 percent of Malaysia's total
exports in July.

Asean accounted for RM16.28 billion (US$4.65 billion) or 27.3 percent of
Malaysia's total exports in August, up 22.6 percent from August 2007.