North China's Shanxi province reported US$1.178 billion in foreign trade during the first five months of the year, up 31.2 percent year on year, the latest local Customs figures show.
Total non-processing trade stood at US$1.11 billion, giving the province a surplus of US$668 million during the five-month period.
Insiders with local customs said that the province's exports of general trade grew by 48.47 percent to US$890 million during the period, while imports dropped 12.42 percent.
Shanxi province recorded US$243 million in foreign trade in May, up US$44.72 percent over the same period of last year, with a trade surplus of US$141 million.
The experts said that non-state firms, the private sector and foreign-funded firms all reported rapid growth in exports.
Non-state firms authorized to engage in foreign trade contributed US$74.79 million to the province's foreign trade for the first five months, up 87.5 percent, while private enterprises in the province exported US$95.34 million worth of goods, up 146 percent.
Firms with overseas investment generated US$173.77 million in foreign trade, with joint ventures reporting 95.6 percent growth in exports and 41.38 percent in imports, and firms solely owned by foreign investors seeing 120.31 percent in exports and 346.76 percent in imports.
(Xinhua News Agency June 16, 2003)
