Trade grows 33.4% between SE China province and Africa

    FUZHOU, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- The two-way trade between southeast China's Fujian Province and Africa countries rose 33.4 percent year-on-year to reach 1.89 billion U.S. dollars last year, local customs statistics show.

    The coastal Chinese province exported 1.72 billion dollars worth of products to Africa in 2007, up 34.8 percent from a year earlier, chiefly machinery and electronic products and garments, statistics with the Fuzhou Customs show.

    Fujian imported 170 million dollars worth products from Africa last year, up 20.2 percent, mainly raw material of mineral products, such as marble and granite, statistics show.

    South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Morocco were the four largest trading partner of Fujian, among 59 African countries and regions with which the Chinese province has established trade ties. The four markets contributed 60.8 percent to the total trade between Fujian and Africa last year.

    "Chinese and African economies are complementary to each other, which is the precondition for the trade growth," a spokesman with the customs said.

    He also advised Chinese businesses to actively enlarge imports from African countries using preferential duty polices and other favorable government polices, in a bid to promote a sustainable development for the China-Africa trade.