Import and Export of Foreign-Funded Enterprises in 1997
                               by Lu Jianhua  
Foreign Investment Management Department of MOFTEC
1. Remarkable slow-down in the growth rate of the import and export  volume
According to the customs statistics, the import and export volume of  foreign
-funded enterprises was 152.62 billion U.S. dollars in 1997, a rise of 11. 3%
over the previous year, a little lower than the growth rate of the  national
import and export volume (12.1%), accounting for 46.9% of the national total
. The export volume was 74.9 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 21.7%  over  the
previous year, a little higher than the growth rate of the  national  export
volume (20.9%), accounting for 41% of the national total. The import  volume
was 77.72 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 2.8% over the previous year,  also
a little higher than the growth rate of the national import volume (2. 5%) ,
accounting for 54.6% of the national total. Of the total import volume,  the
amount of import equipment and goods as investment was 17.92  billion  U. S.
dollars, a drop of 27.9% from the previous year. The  operational  favorable
balance was 15.1 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 4.34 billion U.S.   dollars
over the previous year.
In spite of a growth rate of 11.3% in the import and export volume  in  1997,
there was a drop of 13.5 percentage points as compared with the growth  rate
in 1996 (24.8%), a drop of 9.4 percentage point in the growth  rate  of  the
export volume and a drop of 17.3% in the growth rate of the  import  volume.
The growth rate of the import and export volume in 1997 was  the  lowest  in
the 90's. Table 1 and Table 2 show the detail.
2. Processing trade still holding the leading position
The proportion of the processing trade in the import and  export  volume  had
some increase. The processing trade volume of foreign-funded enterprises was
111.49 billion U.S. dollars in 1997, a rise of 17.9% over the previous year,
2.1 percentage points higher than the growth rate of the national processing
trade volume (15.8%). Its proportion in the national processing trade volume
increased from 64% in 1996 to 65.7% in 1997. The  export  processing  volume
was 63.807 billion U.S. dollars, a rise  of  20%  over  the  previous  year,
accounting for 85% of the export volume of foreign-funded enterprises and 64
.1% of the national export processing volume. The  import  processing  volume
was 47.684 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 14.9%  over  the  previous  year,
accounting for 61% of the import volume of foreign-funded enterprises and 67
.9% of the national import processing volume.
The growth rate of the export processing  volume  was  reduced.   The  export
volume for processing supplied materials accounted for  77%  of  the  export
volume in 1997, a rise of 18.6% over the previous year and a drop  of  7. 65
percentage points from the growth rate in 1996 (26.25%). It  was  the  major
factor for the slow-down in the growth rate of the export volume in  foreign
-funded enterprises. Table 3 shows the detail.
3. Most rapid growth rate of  the  export  volume  in  wholly  foreign- owned
enterprises
The export volume of wholly foreign-owned enterprises was 31.23 billion U. S.
dollars in 1997, a rise of 31.1% over the previous year,   higher  than  the
average growth rate of foreign-funded enterprises (21.7%), accounting for 41
.7% of the export volume of foreign-funded enterprises, 3  percentage  points
higher than the previous year (38.7%). The export  volume  of  equity  joint
ventures was 34.68 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 16.5%, accounting for  46
.3% of the export volume of foreign-funded enterprises, 2  percentage  points
lower than the previous year (48.3%). The export volume of contractual joint
ventures was 8.99 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 13% over the previous year
, accounting for 12% of the export  amount  of  foreign- funded  enterprises,
nearly 1 percentage point lower than the previous year (12.92%).ear, a little lower than the growth rate of the  national
import and export volume (12.1%), accounting for 46.9% of the national total
. The export volume was 74.9 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 21.7%  over  the
previous year, a little higher than the growth rate of the  national  export
volume (20.9%), accounting for 41% of the national total. The import  volume
was 77.72 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 2.8% over the previous year,  also
a little higher than the growth rate of the national import volume (2. 5%) ,
accounting for 54.6% of the national total. Of the total import volume,  the
amount of import equipment and goods as investment was 17.92  billion  U. S.
dollars, a drop of 27.9% from the previous year. The  operational  favorable
balance was 15.1 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 4.34 billion U.S.   dollars
over the previous year.
In spite of a growth rate of 11.3% in the import and export volume  in  1997,
there was a drop of 13.5 percentage points as compared with the growth  rate
in 1996 (24.8%), a drop of 9.4 percentage point in the growth  rate  of  the
export volume and a drop of 17.3% in the growth rate of the  import  volume.
The growth rate of the import and export volume in 1997 was  the  lowest  in
the 90's. Table 1 and Table 2 show the detail.
2. Processing trade still holding the leading position
The proportion of the processing trade in the import and  export  volume  had
some increase. The processing trade volume of foreign-funded enterprises was
111.49 billion U.S. dollars in 1997, a rise of 17.9% over the previous year,
2.1 percentage points higher than the growth rate of the national processing
trade volume (15.8%). Its proportion in the national processing trade volume
increased from 64% in 1996 to 65.7% in 1997. The  export  processing  volume
was 63.807 billion U.S. dollars, a rise  of  20%  over  the  previous  year,
accounting for 85% of the export volume of foreign-funded enterprises and 64
.1% of the national export processing volume. The  import  processing  volume
was 47.684 billion U.S. dollars, a rise of 14.9%  over  the  previous  year,
accounting for 61% of the import volume of foreign-funded e