SteelOrbis Shanghai
According to the statistics issued by the Chinese customs authorities, China's foreign trade volume totaled $980.93 billion in value for the first half of 2007, up 23.3 percent over the same period last year. For the period in question, the total value of China's exports reached $546.73 billion, up 27.6 percent, while the value of imports rose 18.2 percent to $434.2 billion - resulting in a trade surplus of $112.53 billion, up 83.1 percent year on year.
In June China's combined imports and exports registered a total value of $179.63 billion, up 21.3 percent on the same month last year. Imports rose 14.2 percent to $76.36 billion in June, while exports grew 27.1 percent to $103.27 billion.
In the first six months of 2007, the trading value between China and its major trade partners still maintained good growth. The EU is China's largest trade partner, with the trading value between the two sides jumping 27.3 percent to $158.35 billion. The trading volume between China and the US has risen 17.4 percent in value to $140.55 billion. Meanwhile, the value of the trading volume between Japan and China totaled $110.04 billion, up 14.5 percent. Finally, bilateral trade between China and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries reached $92.08 billion, up 26.6 percent - making ASEAN the fourth largest trade partner of China.