Foreign trade in west China's Tibet Autonomous Region amounted to US$223.53 million in 2004, surpassing the 200-million-US-dollar mark for the first time and representing a year-on-year growth of 38.72 percent, according to local authorities of commerce.

The total included US$130.1 million in exports, up 6.92 percent year-on-year and US$93.45 million in imports, up 136.7 percent, the local commerce authorities said.

Of the exports, US$27.72 million worth, or 21.3 percent, were products made in Tibet, up 110.47 percent over the year-earlier level, the commerce authorities said.

In another development, the autonomous region approved the establishment of 12 foreign-invested projects last year. It absorbed US$32.41 million in contracted foreign capital and actually used US$26.99 million, up 273 percent and 478 percent respectively year-on-year, the local commerce authorities said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2005)