The European Union continued to be China's largest trade partner in the first 11 months of this year, with the bilateral trade volume topping US$196.77 billion, up 23.6 percent year on year.

Figures released by the General Administration of Chinese Customs on Monday showed that the United States and Japan were the second and third largest trade partners of China.

During the January-November period, the trade volume between China and the United States reached US$191.55 billion, up 25.4 percent year on year, while that between China and Japan totaled US$166.97 billion, up 10.2 percent.

Hong Kong, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Republic of Korea have become the Chinese mainland's fourth, fifth and sixth largest trade partners, with trade volume between them reaching US$120.45 billion, US$117.24 billion and US$101.45 billion, respectively, in the first 11 months.

Guangdong and Jiangsu provinces in east China and Shanghai Municipality preceded other cities in terms of foreign trade in the first 11 months. Guangdong registered a trade volume of US$381.68 billion, up 19.6 percent year on year. Jiangsu and Shanghai reported foreign trade volume of US$207.05 billion and US$170.02 billion respectively.

(Xinhua News Agency December 13, 2005)