China runs March trade deficit

China runs March trade deficit    China recorded a trade deficit of $7.2 billion in March, the first time in six years the manufacturing powerhouse had exported fewer goods than it imported.
   Economists said the trade deficit is a temporary situation, which they attributed mostly to the unusual circumstances of the Chinese New Year celebration this year during which many exporters shut down operations for one to two weeks, according to news reports.
   Information released Saturday by the Chinese government showed a 66 percent increase in imports from March 2008, a development officials said shows the country's policy of pegging the value of its currency to the dollar doesn't need to be changed to balance trade.
   China's trade deficit mostly came from Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, with the country still maintaining a large surplus in trade with the United States and the European Union, according to China Customs figures.