Mexican oil trade surplus in the first eight months this year reached a new historic peak, amounting to 14.67 billion US dollars, up 26 percent as compared with that of last year, Mexican National Petroleum Corporation said in a statement Tuesday.

From January to August in 2005, the total foreign exchange earned through the export of crude oil, petroleum products, oil and chemical products and natural gas amounted to 19.895 billion dollars while imports of natural gas and chemical products totaled 5.227 billion dollars.

The total income from foreign trade in petroleum and oil products in the first eight months increased by 5.26 billion dollars from the same period last year, said the statement.

The statement also said that in the first eight months, Mexican National Petroleum Corporation exported 1.8 million barrels of crude oil a day, earning 17.815 billion dollars, up 34.7 percent in comparison with that of the same peiod last year.

Meanwhile, 1.852 billion dollars of gasoline, aviation fuel and diesel oil were exported while imported petroleum products stood at 4.219 billion dollars.

The exports and imports of oil and chemical raw materials totaled 0.22 billion and 60.5 million dollars respectively.

Also in the same period of time, Mexico imported 0.95 billion dollars of natural gas, down 14.8 percent from that of the same period last year which stood at 0.947 billion dollars.

Source: Xinhua