Vice Minister of Commerce Gao Hucheng said on the 26th that the increase of China’s import from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is clearly bigger that China’s export to ASEAN in the first half of the year.

At the press conference held by the information office of the State Council, Gao Hucheng said that since the establishment of China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, both sides have seen rapid growth in trade and investment. In the first half of this year, bilateral trade has amounted to USD136.5b, up 55% year on year and exceeding the increase of China’s import and export in the same period of last year by 11%. Of it China’s import from ASEAN is USD71.9b, rising by 64% year on year, while China’s export to ASEAN has reached USD64.6b, up 45% year on year. ASEAN has become the 4th trade partner of China.