The World - News from Oct. 19, 1986

China registered an $8.9-billion trade deficit in the first nine months of the year, down from a $10.6-billion gap in the same period last year, the government said. But a spokesman admitted that China has delayed payment on some imports because of a foreign exchange crunch. The government said imports totaled $30.3 billion a 5.1% increase over 1985, while exports were $21.4 billion, a 14.8% increase.