China's foreign trade surpasses US$1,000b
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2004-12-09 17:13

China's total foreign trade volume amounted to US$1,001.7 billion by November 20, 2004, the General Administration of Customs said here Thursday.

It is the first time for its foreign trade volume to surpass US$1,000 billion.

From January to November, China's total value of imports and exports reached US$1,038.38 billion, up 36.5 percent from the same period last year.

The value of imports and exports both surpassed US$500 billion, with a trade surplus of US$20.84 billion.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce said China still lags behind other major economies of the world in terms of foreign trade.

"China has been moving upward in the world charter of trade volume, possibly to the third this year," said Chong Quan, spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce.

"China is a big player in the world in terms of foreign trade, but not a strong player," the spokesman said.

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