(AFP) Trade surplus rose 15 percent in May from a year earlier as imports fell more sharply than exports, according to official figures released today.

The Statistics Department said the RM4.7 billion surplus compared with RM4.1 billion a year earlier. It was also slightly higher than RM4.6 billion in April.

May's surplus was the country's 43rd consecutive trade surplus since November 1997, the department said in a statement.

Exports in May declined 7.2 percent from a year earlier to RM28.1 billion, while imports fell 10.5 percent to RM23.4 billion.

Electrical and electronic products were the top export earner, accountingfor RM15.4 billion or 55 percent of total export revenue for the month.

Revised growth

Imports of intermediate and capital goods -- used mainly in producing goods for export and the local market -- represented 89 percent of total imports and were down 10.2 percent, the department said.

In the five months to May, the trade surplus fell to RM22.9 billion compared to RM24.1 billion a year earlier as exports slid 1.3 percent to RM142 billion and imports eased 0.7 percent to RM119.1 billion.

Almost 21 percent of all Malaysia's exports go to the United States, making it vulnerable to the economic slowdown there.

The government has revised downwards its economic growth forecast this year to between five and six percent, from seven percent previously, as the global slowdown begins to bite.