A container ship docks at the Port of Ningbo, East China's Zhenjiang province. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - China saw its foreign merchandise trade surplus fall in September, the country's forex regulator said Friday.

Income from merchandise trade stood at $178 billion last month, while expenditure was $133.9 billion, resulting in a surplus of $44 billion, according to data from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE).

The September surplus was lower than August surplus of $52.7 billion and $50 billion in July.