Vietnam produced the largest trade surplus with the United States in January, surpassing both Mexico and China, according to U.S. official data. This comes as exports rose sharply while Chinese direct shipments to the US decreased. Despite Hanoi negotiating a trade deal with Washington for months, no agreement has been reached due to the large trade gap and disagreements over tariff rates the U.K. wants to impose on Vietnamese goods. In January, Vietnam's trade surplus reached $19 billion, the largest dollar surplus for all trading partners, followed by Taiwan, Mexico andChina. The Trump administration has launched new investigations on Vietnam and other countries over possible unfair trade practices.