China's exports up 8.8 percent in first half year

(07/12/2001) (xinhua)

China's exports increased 8.8 percent from January to June this year, according to the latest statistics released by the General Administration of Customs Thursday.

Total volume of foreign trade reached 241.0 billion US dollars, up 11.3 percent from the same period last year. While exports added up to 124.57 billion US dollars, imports rose 14 percent to 116.43 billion US dollars.

However, China's exports in June declined for the first time after a surge of exports last year. Due to changes in international economic development and trade, the exports reached 22.08 billion US dollars in June, down 0.6 percent. Imports of June grew only 4.7 percent to 21.25 billion US dollars.

Among all export companies in China, foreign-invested companies and collectively-owned and private companies reported a higher growth rate of exports. The exports of foreign-invested companies, for example, hit 62.26 billion US dollars, up 16.9 percent. Imports of foreign-invested companies increased 12.5 percent to 60. 17 billion US dollars.

The exports of machinery and electronic products, among all export commodities, show the biggest increase margin of 16.7 percent in the period. Its export volume arrived at 54.97 billion US dollars, accounting for 26.4 percent of China's total exports at the period.

China imported 1.2 percent less crude oil in the six months, with total import volume of crude oil at 32.01 million tons. But the imports of refined oil jumped 28.2 percent to 10.56 million tons.

The commodities whose import volume increased remarkably included timber and cut wood, powdered iron ore, beans, machinery, rolled steel and billet.