Trade between India and Yunnan, a border province in southwest China, increased dramatically this year.

Customs authorities in Kunming, the province’s capital, said its trade volume with India in the first nine months of the year reached US$110 million, the first time it has exceeded US$100 million and 1.5 times the previous year’s figure.

India has become Yunnan’s 7th largest trade partner and its growth is much faster than that of overall Sino-Indian trade.

Indian iron ore imports increased 2.6 times and made up 91.8 percent of Yunnan’s total. Levels of aluminized lead and chromite imports are also significant for the province.

Yunnan exports phosphorus, yellow phosphorus, lead pig, zinc pig, spices and phosphide to India.

The most important of these is yellow phosphorus, the export of which increased 1.2 times from last year.

The Commerce Department of Yunnan says that, although many aspects of trade with India are yet to be developed, prospects are good since they complement each other in terms of resources, commodities and technology.

(China.org.cn by Guo Xiaohong November 11, 2004)