The city of Datong, Shanxi province, has established trade relations with 37 countries across five continents by now and, in the Jan - June period of this year, had a foreign trade volume worth $228.46 million, for a year-on-year increase of 40.2 percent, with exports amounting to $98.1 million and imports, $130.36 million, according to the municipal business bureau. This year, it has been adjusting its export structure and making full use of China’s policy that encourages foreign trade.

The exports of machinery, electrical products and medical products took a fairly large share of the total. From Jan to June, 2,690 tons of medical product were exported, up 220.8 percent over the same last year period, and worth $65.46 million, while machinery and electrical products were worth $19.27 million, with machinery up 102.2 and accounting for 66.73 percent of the total, and electrical products, up 18.2 percent, and 19.6 percent of the total. Fireproofing materials were 13,682 tons, for a decline of 35.5 percent, but worth $2.84 million, still a year-on-year reduction of 36.6 percent; and magnesium, at 202 tons, was down 25 percent and worth $1.06 million, for a 22.3-percent drop.

The import and export of different enterprises all keep stable growth. In the Jan - June period, imports and exports of State-owned enterprises reached $120.1 million in all, up by 89.4 percent, while foreign-funded enterprise trade hit $93.35 million, up 6.8 percent, and private enterprise trade reached $15 million, for an increase of 26.4 percent. General trade amounted to $220.91 million or 96.7 percent of the total, while processing trade was amounted to $5.13 million.

The bilateral trade in main global markets boasts of stable growth. From Jan to June, the bilateral trade with Asia was worth $77.63 million, a year-on-year increase of 71.3 percent, Europe, $114.93 million, up 14.4 percent, Oceania, $10.05 million, up 362.1 percent, Africa, $9.04 million, up 6574.3 percent, and North America, $14.28 million, at 4.8 percent.

Edited by Roger Bradshaw