Australia’s first trade surplus since April 2014 came as the result of a 15% increase in exports, official figures show. A 24% jump in shipments to China was due to a 162% expansion in exports of liquefied natural gas, Panjiva analysis shows. This will likely increase further in 2017 according to government forecasts. The performance of the U.S.-bound export trade is less impressive – exports increased just 3% in November. Shipments may have dropped in December, Panjiva data shows, as a consequence of a 23% slide in exports of wine.