The growth of China's foreign trade is like to
slow down in 2001 due slowing global economic growth and the high base figures over the
past two years, said Chinese foreign trade minister.Shi Guangsheng,
minister of foreign trade and economic cooperation, told a press conference sponsored by
the Press Center of the National People's Congress (NPC) which has been in session in
Beijing since March 5 that still China will maintain a substantial growth in foreign trade
this year to make a good start of the 10th five-year plan period (2001-2005).
According to the official, China's imports and exports reached US$69.91 billion
in the first two months, up 16 percent over the same period of last year, with exports
being US$36.14 billion, up 14.5 percent year-on-year, and imports being US$33.77 billion,
rising by a comparable 17.7 percent.
During the same period, China's contractual foreign investment amounted to
US$9.202 billion and the amount of foreign capital actually used reached US$4.576 billion,
47.09 percent and 24.15 percent higher than in the corresponding period of last year.