Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation

I. Data in this chapter show the summary data of Chinas 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 Chinas 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 Chinas imports and exports, composition of import and export commodities, Chinas 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 Peoples 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 Peoples 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 Chinas 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 Peoples 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 Peoples 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 Peoples Republic of China refers to the province where the import commodities are consumed, used or transported to the destination.