China's trade surplus rose to a record 14.61 billion US dollars in July, exceeding the previous peak of 14.5 billion US dollars in June, Bloomberg reported, citing economists. China's swelling surplus has flooded the economy with cash, fueling spending on factories and real estate that China Premier Wen Jiabao is trying to cool by raising interest rates and restricting bank lending. Economists say a stronger yuan would help ease money inflows, making it easier for the government to control investment growth, wrote Bloomberg. A more flexible exchange rate is one of several measures the People's Bank of China said last week it will use to rein in the fastest economic growth in a decade and curb the ballooning trade surplus.