Total volume of foreign trade reached US$241.0 billion, up 11.3 percent from the same period last year. While exports added up to US$124.57 billion, imports rose 14 percent to US$116.43 billion.

However, China's exports in June declined for the first time after a surge of exports last year. Due to changes in international economic development and trade, the exports reached US$22.08 billion in June, down 0.6 percent. Imports of June grew only 4.7 percent to US$21.25 billion.

Among all export companies in China, foreign-invested companies and collectively-owned and private companies reported a higher growth rate of exports. The exports of foreign-invested companies, for example, hit US$62.26 billion, up 16.9 percent. Imports of foreign-invested companies increased 12.5 percent to US$60. 17 billion.

The exports of machinery and electronic products, among all export commodities, show the biggest increase margin of 16.7 percent in the period. Its export volume arrived at US$54.97 billion, accounting for 26.4 percent of China's total exports at the period.

China imported 1.2 percent less crude oil in the six months, with total import volume of crude oil at 32.01 million tons. But the imports of refined oil jumped 28.2 percent to 10.56 million tons.

The commodities whose import volume increased remarkably included timber and cut wood, powdered iron ore, beans, machinery, rolled steel and billet.

(Xinhua News Agency 07/12/2001)