The following figures and characteristics of trade between China and the United States are contributed by China's General Administration of Customs.

1. The United States ranked as China's third largest trade partner from 1992 until 1995, following Japan and Hong Kong. In 1996, it replaced Hong Kong as the second largest partner before resuming the third place in 1997.

2. Trade between China and the United States increased continuously during the 1990s. The trade volume between the two countries went from 11.77 billion U.S. dollars in 1990 to 48.99 billion dollars in 1997.

3. The U.S. share in China's foreign trade kept growing during the 1990s. In 1997, it reached 15.1 percent, with 18 percent in exports and 12 percent in imports.

4. In China-U.S. trade, China was in a deficit until 1992 and moved to a surplus in 1993. Since then, the size of China's surplus has kept growing. It is mainly linked to the added value from re-exports by Hong Kong, exports by joint ventures in China as well as U.S. restrictions on exports of its high-tech products to China.

5. Nearly 40 percent of the trade between China and the United States is achieved by entrepot trade in Hong Kong. In 1997, 43 percent of China's exports to the United States and 27 percent of its imports from the same country were implemented by transit through Hong Kong.

6. In 1997, exports to the United States from the bases set up by China for processing and assembling, or processing with imported material occupied 58 percent of the total trade volume between the two countries. Developed neighboring countries and regions prefer shifting their manufacturing bases for labor-intensive products to China. They import local raw materials and sell finished products to markets in the United States or European countries. China's export of processed products to the United States goes far beyond its imports.

7. Mechanical and electrical products as well as labor-intensive products are China's major exports and the major imports are natural products and technology-intensive products.