A+ A-

China surpasses US as EU''s top trade partner

TOKYO, Oct 17 (KUNA) -- Trade between China and the European Union (EU) totaled EUR 35.6 billion (USD 49.4 billion) in July, allowing China to overtake the US as the EU's largest trade partner, the official China Daily newspaper reported Monday, citing the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
The overall value of China-EU trade in July exceeded that of the EU and the US by EUR 800 million, accounting for 13.4 percent of the region's total imports and exports, according to the report.
However, bilateral trade shrank for a second consecutive month in July, falling 0.8 percent from the same period last year.
Meanwhile, China remained the EU's second largest export market. EU exports to China totaled EUR 11.7 billion in July, up 12.3 percent year-on-year.
The EU imported EUR 23.9 billion in Chinese goods, down 6.2 percent from the previous year. But China still held the top spot as the region's import source, making up 17.4 percent of the EU's total imports.(end) mk.asa KUNA 170945 Oct 11NNNN