China's exports down 22% in Jan-Jul

Aug. 11, 2009 (China Knowledge) - China's exports declined 22% year on year to US$627.1 billion in the first seven months of this year, according to statistics released by the General Administration of Customs.

During the period from January to July, exports of garments and accessories decreased 9.1% from a year earlier to US$56.93 billion, while exports of furniture declined 9.8% to US$13.75 billion. Exports of mechanical and electrical products reached US$367.71 billion, reflecting a year-on-year drop of 20.8%.

The E.U. is still China's largest trade partner. Its trade volume with China amounted to US$192.73 billion in the first seven months of this year, down 20.7% compared with a year ago. China's trade volume with the U.S. was down 16.1% and reached US$158.68 billion, while its trade volume with Japan decreased 22.6% to US$119.9 billion.

In the first seven months of this year, the combined trade volume of China's imports and exports dropped 22.7% to US$1.15 trillion, while China's trade surplus fell 12.4% to US$107.49 billion.

In July, the combined trade volume of China's imports and exports declined 19.4% to US$200.21 billion. Exports fell 23% to US$105.42 billion, while imports fell 14.9% to US$94.79 billion. Chian's trade surplus was US$10.63 billion, more than the US$8.3 billion in June.