During the January-June 2005 period, China exported $US4.877 billion worth of automobiles, components and spare parts, a year-on-year increase of 38.3%, while automobile exports of 378,800 units were nearly 143% that of the corresponding period of 2004, the Xinhua News agency said on Monday, citing a Peoples Daily report.
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Foreign exchange earnings from auto exports amounted to $762 million, 162% that of the same period of last year.
During the period, China’s exports of sedans surged 183% to 9,600 units.
At the same time, China’s import volume of automobiles, components and spare parts fell 36.2% to $5.535 billion, the report said.
China imported 64,600 complete cars valued at 1.957 billion yuan ($2.4 million), a drop of 33.2% and 34.4% respectively year on year.
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By GlobalDataAn official with the Ministry of Commerce reportedly said China imported an average of approximately 15,000 units of cars each month last year. The figure dropped to some 11,000 monthly in the first six months of this year.
He attributed the decrease to increased production of domestic-made cars, RMB exchange rate fluctuations, the appreciation of the euro, as well as state policy factors.
The report said industry insiders in China have welcomed the trade surplus in car import/export, saying that China’s auto industry has scored marked progress thanks to 20 years of co-operation with foreign firms.
“Automobiles manufactured in China are very competitive on the world market in terms of price. So it is natural for China to see a big rise in car export volume in the long run,” the report added.
But they warned that the industry should not have “blind optimism”.
Xu Xiangyang, deputy director of the Automobile Engineering Department of the Beijing Aerospace University, reportedly acknowledged that China’s car export volume is “virtually nothing” compared with global total car export volume.
It takes a car maker years of experience to develop and expand its overseas business, Xu said, citing Toyota as an example.
Zhang Xiaoyu, director of the China Automobile Engineering Society, attributed the trade surplus to the recent RMB exchange rate fluctuations and state policy.
Zhang, also deputy president of the China Machinery Industry Association, held that cars made in China have just entered the international market, which is facing cut-throat competition, and the country’s export volume is small. China still has a long way to go to become a world major car manufacturer and exporter, he said.
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