Foreign trade

The total value of import and export of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in 2000 was US$2.622 billion, up by 102.63 per cent on 1999. The total export value was US$970 million, up 81.31 per cent on 1999, equivalent to 5.73 per cent of the regional GDP and 0.39 per cent of the country's total export value.

The proportion of raw materials exported at a value of US$359 million amounted to 37 per cent of the region's total export value. The export of manufactured products accounted for the remaining 63 per cent and came to a value of US$611 million. The key export destinations were Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, the USA., Mongolia, Italy and Thailand. These countries and regions imported US$740 million worth of commodities, accounting for 76.29 per cent of total exports.

The total import value was US$1.652 billion, up by 117.65 per cent over 1999. Import of raw materials amounted to US$619 million and the import of manufactured products amounted to US$1.033 billion, accounting for 37 per cent and 63 per cent respectively of the total value of import. The imports were mainly from Russia, Mongolia, Germany, Australia, Italy, the USA, Japan and the Republic of Korea. The import value from these countries was US$1.601 billion, accounting for 96.91 per cent of the total import value.

Border trade, which is a popular mode of trade for provinces along the borders of China, also experienced substantial increases in 2000. The total value of border trade reached US$ 1.445 billion, up 117.62 per cent on 1999. The major exports included fruits, vegetables, miscellaneous articles for daily use and heavy duty trucks , while imports included mainly logs, aluminum products, PVC and copper concentrate powder.