Foreign trade in east China's Jiangsu Province grew 33.4 percent year-on-year to a record high of US$227.94 billion in 2005, or 16 percent of the country's total, the provincial source said.

The figures included US$122.98 billion of exports, up 40.6 percent year-on-year, according to statistics from Jiangsu's provincial foreign economy and trade department.

Meanwhile, the province reported imports of US$104.96 billion, up 25.9 percent.

In 2005, the province also signed labor force contracts on overseas construction projects involving investment totaling US$3.31 billion, up 35.1 percent over the previous year, the source said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2006)?