China's trade surplus rose to 11.43 billion U.S. dollars in April this year, according to figures released Tuesday by the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

The country reported a small trade surplus of 140 million dollars in March, on the basis of a deficit of 7.3 billion U.S. dollars in February -- the country's first since March 2010.

The GAC said the total value of imports and exports increased 25.9 percent year on year to 299.95 billion dollars in April, with exports up 29.9 percent to a record high of 155.69 billion U.S. dollars and imports up 21.8 percent to 144.26 billion U.S. dollars.

Exports of mechanical and electrical equipment rose 22.9 percent to 319.76 billion U.S. dollars during the first four months, accounting for 57.6 percent of the country's total exports.

The GAC said trade with the European Union, China's largest trade partner, jumped 23.5 percent year on year to 170 billion dollars in April.

Trade with the United States climbed 24.8 percent to 133.71 billion dollars during the period while that with Japan rose 22.9 percent to 108.86 billion dollars.

China's imports of iron ores dropped 15 percent to 52.88 million tonnes in April from March.

China saw a trade deficit of 1.02 billion U.S. dollars from January to March this year, the first quarterly trade deficit in six years. The GAC has attributed the deficit to soaring commodity prices and seasonal factors.