China contributed an average of 22.5 percent to global import growth between 2012 and 2017, said a report on the country’s import development, released by a research team led by Professor Wei Hao from Beijing Normal University.

The figure was more than double that of the 2002-2007 period, which stood at 10.7 percent, the report disclosed.

The total value of imports to China increased from $10.9 billion to $1.84 trillion from 1978 to 2017, up by 169 times. The report also noted that China's share of total global imports also grew from 0.93 percent in 1979 to 11.59 percent in 2017.

During the same period, China jumped up the global leaderboard from 23rd to 2nd place in regards to global import volume, contributing over 10 percent of the world total since 2012.

After China’s accession to the WTO, the country's import sources also increased from 181 to 218 in 2017, the report said.