Sino-Japanese trade amounted to 246.2 billion U.S. dollars in the first 11 months of 2008, a growth of 15.2 percent on the same period of 2007, the General Administration of Customs said on Saturday.

The figure accounted for 10.4 percent of China's total external trade for the Jan.-Nov. period of 2008, continuing to rank Japan third among China's trade partners.

The total trade volume included 106.1 billion U.S. dollars in exports to Japan, up 14.9 percent, and 140.1 billion dollars in imports, up 15.3 percent.

Of the total trade, 70.3 percent, or 173.1 billion U.S. dollars, was recorded by foreign-funded businesses, up 13.4 percent.

Exports of machines and electronics were 50.66 billion U.S. dollars worth, up 15.8 percent, accounting for 47.8 percent of China's total sales to Japan.

Farm produce exports, hit by a series of product safety scandals since 2007, were down 8.3 percent to 6.92 billion U.S. dollars, as against a 1.4- percent growth for the Jan.-Nov. period of 2007.

(Xinhua News Agency January 17, 2009)