Editor's note: Private firms have been playing an increasingly important role in China's economic development. A national survey by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce and the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce outlined the impact private businesses are having on the nation.

As trade continues to open in breadth and scope, private enterprises show strong interest in foreign business or cooperation with foreign investors.

According to a national survey on private companies, 55.5 percent of private firms expect to engage in foreign trade or enter into joint ventures with foreign partners.

"Private enterprises are set to become a new force in the country's foreign trade," the research team said.

The number of private companies with export commerce soared 30-fold to 56,000 in 2005 from just 1,800 companies in 2000.

The research team attributed the brisk growth to the opening of foreign trade rights to all forms of businesses under commitments made by the country when it joined the World Trade Organization.

The top 100 private exporters in 2005 included not only manufacturers of light products such as textiles and shoes, but also firms dealing in heavy industries like oil and machinery.

Now over 30 percent of private enterprises export to overseas markets by themselves or through agents, the survey said.

Exports from private enterprises rose to $531.2 billion in 2005, accounting for nearly 78 percent of the country's total.

The survey showed that most private enterprise exports still focus on the manufacturing, wholesale and retail sectors. Less than 10 percent have a brand for export, while most do processing for foreign-brand owners.

Apart from foreign trade, some 1.9 percent of private enterprises have investment overseas and 9.5 percent have joint ventures at home.

It may not take long for Chinese private enterprises to become a new force in overseas investment, said Hou Zhirui, an official from the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce.

"Maybe only three to five years," he said. Private companies have grown into a major force driving the country's economy and a main provider of jobs, said Huang Mengfu, vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.