China's 2017 trade surplus with the U.S. was $275.81 billion, the country's customs data showed Friday, according to Reuters.

By that data, last year's surplus is a record high, the wire service reported. For comparison, the previous record was a surplus of $260.8 billion in 2015.

The world's second-largest economy had a surplus of $25.55 billion in December, data showed, compared to $27.87 billion in November.

Trade with China is politically sensitive as the world's second-largest economy runs surpluses against many of its trading partners.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled tougher action on what he calls unfair practices that have lead to a massive trade deficit with China.

Overall, China's trade balance for 2017 was a surplus of $422.5 billion

—CNBC's Huileng Tan and Reuters contributed to this report.