EU becomes China's No. 1 source of imports

According to the first quarter statistics, the European Union has replaced Japan as China's largest source of imports, Yao Jian, a spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce, said today.

In April, growth of China's exports increased by 3.4 percent, while that of the imports dropped by 10.8 percent. Meanwhile, China generated a monthly trade surplus again, totaling 11.4 billion dollars, although smaller than last April. Overall, the nation's foreign trade has improved.

Yao said the Japanese quake has affected our imports. In April, the amount of China's imports from Japan, totaling about 16 billion dollars, was only 4.7 percent above last April, much lower than the first quarter growth of 26.3 percent. The ministry will take measures to increase economic exchanges between the two countries, including engaging in post-quake restoration construction.

By People's Daily Online

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