The Chinese mainland's imports and exports of textiles and garments topped US$124 billion, up 18 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of this year, according to statistics with China Customs.

It makes up almost 10 percent of the mainland's total trade volume in the same period, which stood at US$1.37 trillion.

From January to August, exports of textile and garments rose 19.5 percent over the same period last year to US$112 billion, while imports went up 4.4 percent to reach US$12.5 billion.

More than one third, or 37.8 percent, of the exports went to the United States, Japan and Hong Kong, totaling US$42.2 billion.

The European Union spent US$19.3 billion on 17 percent of the Chinese mainland's total exports of textile and garments.

Meanwhile, the mainland imported textile and garments mainly from Japan, Taiwan and South Korea in the Jan-Aug period, accounting for about half of the total imports.

(Xinhua News Agency October 4, 2007)