China drives even fatter wedge into trade gap

WASHINGTON -- A surge in oil imports and a flood of Chinesetelevisions, toys and computers helped to drive the U.S. tradedeficit to an all-time high in October.

The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that the gap betweenwhat America sells overseas and what it imports rose by 4.4 percentto $68.9 billion, surpassing the record of $66 billion set inSeptember.

The United States incurred record deficits in October with most ofits major trading partners including China, the 25-nation EuropeanUnion, Canada and Mexico. This development is certain to increaseprotectionist pressures in Congress, with many lawmakers alreadyunhappy with the Bush administration's trade …