The U.S. trade deficit with other nations shot up 8.5 percent in April, triggered by a surge in Chinese imports following the end of a major holiday season in the giant Asian country.

The trade gap widened to a seasonally adjusted $40.3 billion from a revised $37.1 billion in March, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. Economists polled by MarketWatch had forecast a deficit of $41.5 billion.

Imports increased 2.4 percent to $227.7 billion, while exports rose a smaller 1.2 percent to $187.4 billion. The value of exports was the highest in four months, however.