Specifically, exports posted US$252.1 billion, up 27.8 percent, an acceleration of 1.2 percentage points on a year-on-year basis; imports registered US$205.7 billion, up 18.2 percent, a deceleration of 6.6 percentage points. Driven by general trade and the processing trade, the trade surplus in the first quarter recorded US$46.44 billion, up US$23.1 billion over the previous year.