According to the Chinese customs authorities, in January this year China's total external trade volume reached a value of $295.01 billion, up 43.9 percent year on year, with its exports accounting for $150.73 billion, up 37.7 percent year on year, and its imports reaching $144.28 billion, up 51 percent year on year. Thus, China's trade surplus for the month in question was $6.45 billion, down 53.5 percent year on year.
As regards China's major trading partners, in January China-EU bilateral trade reached a value of $45.97 billion, up 30.5 percent year on year. China-US bilateral trade in the given month totaled $36.87 billion, up 39.2 percent year on year. China-ASEAN trade amounted to $28.89 billion, up 34.5 percent year on year, with China exporting $13.36 billion to ASEAN countries, up 26.7 percent year on year, and importing $15.53 billion from ASEAN countries, up 41.9 percent year on year, resulting in a trade deficit of $2.17 billion. China-Japan bilateral trade in January totaled $27.84 billion, up 42 percent year on year. Trade between China and India in January reached a value of $6.66 billion, up 44.2 percent year on year, while China's trade with Brazil totaled $5.99 billion, up 74.8 percent year on year.