A4

CHINA

no agreement being arrival at. The Dalai Lama visited Peiping in 1921 and was received in audience by President Hsu Shih-chang.

FOREIGN TRADE IN 1936

VALUE OF TRADE

The following table gives the value of the foreign trade of China for the years 1934, 1935 and 1936, as published in the Returns. Figures for the years prior to 1933 included Manchurian trade with abroad.

I-VALUE OF THE FOREIGN TRADE OF CHINA, 1934-36

Net Imports Exports

Total

Excess of Imports

1934 Million $

1935 Million $

1,030

919

535

576

1,565

1,495

495

343

1936 Million $

941

706

1,647

235

...As will be seen from the above, the net value of the trade of China, im- port and export, expressed in terms of standard dollars, was for 1936 $1,647 million, as compared with $1,495 million during 1935. Imports rose from $919 million to $941 million, an increase of 2.4 per cent, while exports improved from $576 million to $706, or by 22.6 per cent. In connexion with these dollar figures it should be noted that, subsequent to the Government's monetary reforms of November 1935, the average equivalent of the gold unit was for the year 1936 $2.26, as compared with $1,866 for 1935, and that in consequence the dollar valuation of imports was higher by approximately 20 per cent on this account solely, while, at the same time, exports enjoyed a corresponding advantage from the comparatively lower dollar. The table which follows illustrates the adverse balance of trade during the past 27 years since 1910:

VALUE OF THE FOREIGN TRADE OF CHINA LESS THE MANCHURIAN TRADE WITH ABROAD, 1910-36

Adverse Imports. Exports. Balance of

rade

Adverse

Year

Year

Imports. Exports. Balance of

Trade..

Million $ Million $ Million $

Million $ Million

Million $

1910...

649 503

146

1923.

1,251 888

383

1911..

650

482

168

1924.

1,389 878

511

1912...

644

485

159

1925...

1,242 876

366

1913...

788

523

265

1926...

1,473 934

539

1914.

780. ·449

331

; 1927......

1,298 980

318

1915.

619

546

73

1928:

........

1,530

1,047

483

1916..

678

612

66

.1929..

1,620 1,070

550

1917.

697. 570

127

· 1930...........¡¡¿....

1,723 944

779

1918....

707 .587.

120

1931..

2,002 915

.1.087

1919.

785

.739

.: 46.

1932...

1,524 569

955

1920.

997

614.

383

1933...

1,345

.612

733

1921...

1,233)

698

535

1934 oreja? 1,030

535

495

1922.

1,234. 764 520

919

576

343

:

Feb

235

1935. 1936 941 706

Successive annual reductions during the past years of $132 million, $222 million, $238 million, $152 million, and $108 million have reduced China's adverse balance of trade from: its highest figure of $1,087 million in 1931 to $235 million only for the year under review. In other words, the adverse balance in China's merchandise account has been reduced by 78.4. per cent since 1931 Admitting that the adverse balance for 1936 would have repre- sented a higher figure had smuggled imports been recorded, the figure of $235 million may, on the other hand, be reduced by $24.5 million of export duty, which should be added to the outward statistics to obtain the true f.dibu

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