The General Administration of Customs (GAC) said China imported 23,000 automobiles in July, a record figure for a single month.

 

The administration attributed surging automobile imports to the lowering of auto import tariffs starting July 1.

 

Tariffs on sedans, cross-country vehicles and passenger cars dropped from 28 percent to 25 percent.

 

Import volume in July was 35 percent higher than the average for the first six months of this year, said the GAC. But it did not give the import figure for July 2005.

 

From January to July, China imported a total of 127,000 automobiles worth US$4.17 billion, up 75.8 percent over the same month of last year. In volume terms, this represents a rise of 60 percent in comparison with the same month of 2005.

 

(Xinhua News Agency September 1, 2006)