The Chinese mainland's imports and exports of textiles and
garments topped US$124 billion, up 18 percent year-on-year in the
first eight months of this year, according to statistics with China
Customs.
It makes up almost 10 percent of the mainland's total trade
volume in the same period, which stood at US$1.37 trillion.
From January to August, exports of textile and garments rose
19.5 percent over the same period last year to US$112 billion,
while imports went up 4.4 percent to reach US$12.5 billion.
More than one third, or 37.8 percent, of the exports went to the
United States, Japan and Hong Kong, totaling US$42.2 billion.
The European Union spent US$19.3 billion on 17 percent of the
Chinese mainland's total exports of textile and garments.
Meanwhile, the mainland imported textile and garments mainly
from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea in the Jan-Aug period,
accounting for about half of the total imports.
(Xinhua News Agency October 4, 2007)