Japan remained China's number one trade partner with Sino-Japanese trade volume reaching US$83.17 billion, according to latest statistics released by the General Administration of Customs.

As Japan's economy underwent major recovery in 2000, China's exports to Japan topped US$41.65 billion, up 28.5 percent. Meanwhile, last year also saw a 22.9 percent increase in China's imports from Japan by US$41.51 billion.

China's trade with the United States, its second-largest trade partner, reported US$74.47 billion, up 21.2 percent. Meanwhile, exports to and imports from the US reached US$52.1 billion and US$22.36 billion respectively, representing growths of 24.2 and 14.8 percent.

China's trade with the European Union increased 24 percent to US$69.04 billion, as the EU's regional economy continued to improve. Exports and imports therein were US$38.19 billion and US$30.85 billion respectively, up 26.4 percent and 21.2 percent.

Meanwhile, members of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Russia have all sped up economic development. As a result, China's exports to these partners reached US$17.34 billion, US$11.29 billion and US$2.23 billion respectively.

Experts here attribute the growth in China's foreign trade mainly to the sustained development of the world's economy and trade, a sound international economic environment and stable development of China's national economy.

(Xinhua 01/11/2001)