BRIEF
INTRODUCTION
I. Data in this
chapter show the summary data of China’s foreign trade, utilization of foreign
capital, contracted projects and labour cooperation with the foreign countries
or territories over the years, stressing on the recent situation of foreign
trade and economic cooperation.
II. Table 17-1
shows the summary data of the total changes in China’s foreign trade,
utilization of foreign capital, contracted projects and labour cooperation with
the foreign countries or territories since the Eighth Five-year Plan Period.
Table 17-2 shows the average exchange rates of RMB yuan to US dollar, Japanese
yen and Hong Kong dollar over the years. The data come from the State
Administration of Exchange Control. The annual average exchange rate is calculated
as the weighted mean of the daily exchange rates provided by the State
Administration of Foreign Exchange in the year. Tables from 17-3 to 17-12 show
systematically the size of China’s imports and exports, composition of import
and export commodities, China’s foreign trade with the related countries and
territories, the changes in the import and export of the foreign-funded
enterprises by region. The data in the years prior to 1980 were statistical
data of foreign trade and come from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation. Since 1980, the data have been the statistical data of customs on
imports and exports and come from the General Customs Administration. For Table
17-4 and 17-5, the UN Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) was
used for the classification of the import and export commodities. However, the
Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS) stipulated by the
Customs Cooperation Council is used in the classification of the import and
export commodities as displayed in Table 17-6. Data in tables 17-13 to 17-18
are from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and are
tabulated in accordance with the ”statistical
Scheme on the Utilization of Foreign Capital” designed by the Ministry of
Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation and the National Bureau of Statistics in
November of 1996, which are data of complete enumeration. The statistical
coverage includes all the units and departments which have utilized foreign
capital and all the Sino-foreign joint ventures, Sino-foreign cooperative
enterprises, ventures exclusively with foreign investment, foreign-funded stock
companies, Sino-foreign cooperative development projects and other corporate
enterprises (including the enterprises funded by the entrepreneurs from Hong
Kong, Macao and Taiwan) with independent accounting system which have been
approved by the Chinese government to set up in the boundary of the People’s
Republic of China. Tables 17-19 and 17-20 show the registration of the foreign-
funded enterprises in various regions. The data come from the State
Administration for Industry and Commerce and are tabulated in accordance with
the “Statistical Reporting Scheme
in the Administrative System of Administration for Industry and Commerce” stipulated
by the State Administration for Industry and Commerce in 1994. The statistical
coverage includes all the Sino-foreign joint ventures, Sino-foreign cooperative
enterprises, ventures exclusively with foreign investment, Sino-foreign
share-holding companies, foreign enterprises and enterprises of Hong Kong,
Macao and Taiwan engaged in commercial activities and the branch offices of the
foreign companies in China, which have been approved by and registered at the
State Administration for Industry and Commerce to set up in the boundary of the
People’s Republic of China. The data in this table are collected on the basis
of the registration on opening business, changes and cancellation. Tables 17-21
and 17-22 shows the development of the contracted projects, labour services
cooperation and design and consultation service with foreign countries over the
years in China. The data come from the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic
Cooperation and are collected with the method of complete enumeration and are tabulated
in accordance with the Table CS-4 in the “statistical Reporting Scheme on the
Contracted Projects and Labour Services Cooperation with Foreign Countries”
jointly stipulated by the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation
and the National Bureau of Statistics in July, 1996. The statistical unit in
the scheme is the corporate enterprise engaged in contracted projects and
labour services cooperation with foreign countries and has been approved by the
departments of foreign trade and economic cooperation at various levels.
III. In the table
on China’s total imports and exports with related countries and territories,
the export commodities are calculated as the countries (or territories) of
final destination and the import commodities as the countries (or territories)
of origin.
The total values
of the import and export commodities by region are calculated respectively at
the provinces where the import or export corporations are situated and at the
provinces of destination or provinces of origin within the boundary of the
People’s Republic of China. The province where the import or export
corporations are situated refers to the province where the import or export
corporations have applied to and have been registered at the customs. The
province of origin within the boundary of the People’s Republic of China refers
to the province where the export commodities are produced or originally
delivered. The province of destination within the boundary of the People’s
Republic of China refers to the province where the import commodities are
consumed, used or transported to the destination.