KUALA LUMPUR. Aug 7: Malaysia posted a trade surplus of 6.05 billion ringgit (1.45 billion dollars) in June, reversing a deficit of 2.8 billion ringgit a year earlier, the Statistics Department aid yesterday, reports AFP.

June's surplus marked a 60 per cent jump from the 3.8 billion ringgit recorded in May. said the department, which released the statistics through Bernama news agency.

It attributed the surplus for the eight consecutive month to a 43 per cent year-on-year surge in exports to 23.66 billion ringgit while imports dipped nine per cent to 17.61 billion ringgit.

June's surplus brought Malaysia's trade balance for the first half of the year to 22.1 billion ringgit, compared to a deficit 012.8 billion ringgit in the same period last year.

The department said Malaysia would have posted a trade surplus of 25.1 billion ringgit In the six-month period

If trade in big ticket items such as aircraft and ships were excluded.

During the half year, exports expanded 41 per cent from a year earlier to 138.65 billion ringgit, outpacing a 15 per cent growth in Imports to 116.53 illion ringgit.

Electrical and electronic goods were the main contributors to exports, netting receipts 71.7 billion ringgit or 52 per cent of total earnings in the six months, it said.

Major import items were intermediate goods totalling 81 billion ringgit or 70 per cent of total outflow, followed by capital goods worth 19.6 billion ringgit and consumption goods at 6?5 billion ringgit.

The United States Singapore and Japan remained Malaysia's major trading partner jointly accounting for 52 per cent of total trade in the January to June period, the department added.