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China's exports rose a solid 14.1 percent in the first six months of the year against the same period in 2001, official figures showed, giving cheer to economic planners hoping for a year of export-led growth.
China exported goods worth US$142 billion to the end of June, the General Administration of Customs announced in figures released late Thursday.
Over the same period, imports totalled US$128.7 billion, up 10.4 percent over the same period last year, giving total foreign trade growth of 12.3 percent.
In June alone, exports surged 17.8 percent to US$26 billion, with imports at US$23.1, up 8.6 percent.
Good export growth is vital for China to achieve its targeted growth of seven percent for the full year.
In the first quarter of 2002, China's economy grew 7.6 percent year-on-year, an improvement on the 6.6 percent recorded the previous quarter which economists put down mainly to improved exports.
China will on Monday unveil its growth figures for the first half of this year, widely expected to be around 7.5 percent.
(China Daily July 12, 2002)
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