China overtakes Japan in merchandise trade.

[bwhhisc]

From Yahoo news 1/11/06 SHANGHAI, China -
China's trade surplus surged to $101.9 billion in 2005, more than triple the $32 billion gap recorded the year before, according to customs figures released Wednesday.

Exports rose 28.4 percent year-on-year in 2005 to $762 billion, while imports rose 17.6 percent to $660 billion, the General Administration of Customs said in a report posted on its Web site.
With total global trade of $1.42 trillion, China is now the world's third-biggest trading nation, the report said. China announced earlier that it had overtaken Japan in terms of merchandise trade and remained behind the United States and Germany.

COMMENT from me- this is just the tip of the iceberg!

[Rubber Duck]

Originally Posted by bwhhisc

From Yahoo news 1/11/06 SHANGHAI, China -
China's trade surplus surged to $101.9 billion in 2005, more than triple the $32 billion gap recorded the year before, according to customs figures released Wednesday.

Exports rose 28.4 percent year-on-year in 2005 to $762 billion, while imports rose 17.6 percent to $660 billion, the General Administration of Customs said in a report posted on its Web site.
With total global trade of $1.42 trillion, China is now the world's third-biggest trading nation, the report said. China announced earlier that it had overtaken Japan in terms of merchandise trade and remained behind the United States and Germany.

COMMENT from me- this is just the tip of the iceberg!

The biggest misperception about China is that Trade Figure represent the whole picture. Yes they do have a healthy trade position, but this like most countries only represents a small fraction of the Overall Economy. Much of the investment and producton that is going on is to satisfy internal demand. China's economy is about much more than just satisfy the demands of western consumers. The level of consumption within China itself is expanding at an almost exponetial rate. The question should not be so much "What China can do for us", but "What is that we can supply to China"?

Best Regards
Dave Wrixon