Statistics Show That China'S Foreign Trade Has Declined Continuously.

In January 13th, the website of the General Administration of Customs announced the statistics of foreign trade in December 2008. The total value of imports and exports in December 2008 was 183 billion 334 million US dollars, a decrease of 11.1% over the same period last year.

This is the second consecutive month of decline in China's foreign trade import and export volume and a further decline.

In December, the total export value was 111 billion 157 million US dollars, a year-on-year decrease of 2.8%. In December, the total value of imports was US $72 billion 177 million, a decrease of 21.3% over the same period last year.

In November, exports fell by 2.2% in the same period last year, the first negative growth in June 2001, and the 17.9% year-on-year decline in imports, the first negative growth since February 2005.

Data from the General Administration of Customs show that China's trade surplus reached 38 billion 980 million US dollars in December, less than the November surplus.

Previously, customs data showed that China's trade surplus in November 2008 exceeded 40 billion for the first time, reaching a record high of 40 billion 90 million dollars.

China's trade surplus reached 38 billion 980 million US dollars in December.

This is a reversal of the trade surplus after a record high in November.

The market predicted that China's import and export volume decreased by 19.1% and 3.8% in December compared with the previous year, and the trade surplus was 34 billion US dollars.

In addition, from 2008's annual data, China's import and export value reached US $2 trillion and 561 billion 632 million, an increase of 17.8% over the same period last year, of which the total value of exports was US $1 trillion and 428 billion 546 million, an increase of 17.2% over the same period last year. The total value of imports was US $1 trillion and 133 billion 86 million, an increase of 18.5% over the same period last year.

The annual trade surplus reached 295 billion 459 million US dollars, up from US $262 billion 200 million in 2007.

From the data of the whole year, the past 2008 may be the smallest increase in China's trade surplus since 2003.

The General Administration of Customs issued an analysis report in January 4th, predicting that the cumulative trade surplus in 2008 will be around us $290 billion.

In the first 11 months of 2008, China's foreign trade surplus was US $255 billion 950 million, so the trade surplus in December should be about $34 billion.

In 2008, the year-round trade surplus increased by about 10.6% over the same period last year, down from the 47.7% surplus in 2007.

The export volume and import volume also declined at the same time, which is relatively rare in recent years.

Data show that this is the first time since June 2001 that China's exports have declined compared with the same period last year.

Yang Jing: editor in charge