
FILE - In this Oct. 9, 2016 file photo shipping containers are stacked on a ship in the port in Hamburg, Germany. German exports rose to a new record high in March, but were outpaced by imports to slightly narrow the trade surplus, while factory production dropped slightly, according to two reports Tuesday, May 9, 2017, from Europe’s largest economy. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, file) (The Associated Press)
BERLIN – Germany statistics agency says that the country exported more goods in March than in any previous month, though imports also rose to reach a record.
The Federal Statistical Office reported Tuesday that exports were up 0.4 percent over February, while imports increased 2.4 percent, according to figures adjusted for seasonal and calendar variations.
Exports totaled 118.2 billion euros ($129.3 billion), while imports reached 92.9 billion euros for a trade surplus of 25.4 billion euros. A year earlier, the monthly surplus amounted to 25.8 billion euros.
Germany's export imbalance is widely criticized by other countries, which accuse Europe's biggest economy of not doing enough to spur domestic demand for foreign goods. Berlin counters that products made in Germany are simply better than the competition.