Major Part of Suzhou's Foreign Trade Involves APEC MembersMore than 70 percent of Suzhou' s foreign trade volume involves Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) members, Yang Weize, mayor of Suzhou in east China's Jiangsu Province, said Saturday.APEC economies have become Suzhou's important trade partners, Yang told reporters in Suzhou. APEC members have so far signed contracts involving a total investment of 29.6 billion U.S.dollars with Suzhou, accounting for 75.75 percent of the overseas investment in the city. Eighty enterprises of the world's top 500 have invested in the city, of which 53 percent are from APEC members. APEC members' investment has boosted local foreign trade. In 2000, the trade volume between Suzhou and APEC members totaled 15. 3 billion U.S.dollars-worth, which was 76 percent of that year's total imports and exports. Exports to APEC members came to 7.5 billion U.S.dollars-worth, accounting for 72 percent of the city's total. Imports from APEC members to Suzhou totaled 7.8 billion U.S. dollars-worth, 82 per cent of the total. Since the start of this year, trade between Suzhou and APEC members has been developing at a high speed, reaching a total of eight billion U.S.dollars-worth so far, up 30 percent over the corresponding period of last year. APEC members including Japan and the United States have become the largest markets for Suzhou's exports, according to the mayor. |
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