CHINA
DIRECTION OF TRADE
A5
The following table shows the direction of China's foreign trade for 1938 and 1939 and her balance of trade in merchandise with each of the countries listed for the year under review:
THE DIRECTION OF CHINA'S FOREIGN TRADE
In thousands of standard dollars (000 omitted)
GROSS IMPOrts.
GROSS EXPORTS.
1939.
COUNTRY.
Australia
1938.
1939.
1938.
1939.
Excess of
St. $ per cent. St. $ per cent
St. $
per cent.
St. $ per cent.
Imports. Exports.
28,065
3.14
68,680 5.11
3,897
0.51
6,393
0.62
62,287
Belgium
18,126
2.03
21,044
1.57
2,547
0.33
3,193
0.31
17,851
Brazil
2,689
0.30
38,243
2.85
24
..
130
0.01
38,113
British India
16,214
1.81
119,439
8.69 19,720
2.58
30,700
2.98
88,739
Burma
12,801
1.43
6,466
0.48
4,661
0.61
5,629
0.55
837
Canada
7,872
0.88
10,530
0.78
3,675
0.48
10,213
0.99
317
Denmark
270
0.03
179
0 01
1,640
0.22
Egypt (Including
2,580
0.25
2,401
-
Anglo Egyptian
Sudan)
2,520
0.28
8,204
0.61
2,852
0.37
5,369
0.52 2,835
Formosa
2,277 0.26
28,649
2.13
177
0.02
France
6,891 0.67
21,758
18,304
2.05
11,307
0.84.
20,402
2.67
32,641 3.17
French Indo-China
21,334
27,351 3.06
28,508
2.12
15,816
2.07
Germany
71,046
6.90
42,538
112,939
12.64
87,167 6.49
56,440 7.39
45,097
Great Britain
4.38 42,070
70,606 7.90
77,860 5,80
56,769
7.43
Hongkong
90,863
8,82
13,003
24,589 2.75
35,416
2.64
243,395 31.87
222,099
21.56
Italy
186,683
17,465
1.96
11,108
0.83
1,267 0.17
2,293
0.22
8,815
Japan
Korea
Macao
209,864
23.49
313,398
23,34
116,547
15.26
€6,621
6.47
246,777
5,577
0.62
20,827
1.55
6,873 0.90
5,598
0.54
15,229
1,504
0.17
7,230
0.54
9,624 1.26
21 551
2.09
14,321
Morocco
2
2
7,550 ·0.99
7,610
0.74
Netherlands
7,608
4,640
0.52
3,953
0.30
8,170
1.07
10,742
1.04
6,789
Netherlands India.
45,744
5.12
58,350 4.35
6,664
0.87
Norway
17,688
1.72
40,662
..
Philippine Islands....
3,570 0.40 3,521
2,607 0.19
411
0.05
943
0.09
1,664
0.39
4,148 0.31
6,703
0.88
15,582
∙1.51
11,434
Straits Settlements
and F.M.S.
7,313 0.82 3,947 0.44
12,032 0.90
17,546
2.30
33,786
3.28
21,754
3,454 0.26
588
0.08
1,100
0.11
2,354
8,929 1.00
7,579
0.56
148
0.02
643
0.06
6,936
24,939
2.79
20,966
1,56
6,019
0.79
11,583
1.12
9,383
151,254
16.93
214,100
15.94
86,853 11,37
225,873
21.92
11,773
5,491
0.61
73
613
0.08
28
45
Territory..
37,411 4.19
17,706 1.99
98,958 22,541
+
7,37
1,68
41,507 5.44 48,552 14,633 1.92 27,322 .2.65
4.71
50,406
4,781
Sweden
Switzerland.
Thailand (Siam)
U.S. of America
U.S.S.R. (Russia) Kwantung Leased
Other Countries
Total
893,500 100.00 1,343,018 100.00
763,731 100,00 1,030,359 100.00 312,659
Individually, the order of importance of the major countries for the year with the respective total values for their import and export trade were as follows: the United States of America, $440 million; Japan Proper, $380 million; Great Britain, $169 million; British India, $150 million; the Kwan- tung Leased Territory, $147 million; Germany, $132 million; French Indo- China, $99 million; Netherlands India, $76 million; and Australia, $75 million. In percentages, the order in the case of imports was Japan, 23.34 per cent; the United States of America, 15.94 per cent; British India, 8.89 per cent; Kwan- tung Leased Territory, 7.37 per cent; Germany, 6.49 per cent; Great Britain, 5.80 per cent; Australia, 5.11 per cent; and Netherlands India, 4.35 per cent. As regards exports, the percentages were: the United States of America, 21.92 per cent; Great Britain, 8.82 per cent; French Indo-China, 6.90 per cent; Japan Proper, 6.47 per cent; Kwantung Leased Territory, 4.71 per cent; Germany, 4.38 per cent; and Hongkong, 21.56 per cent. As previously pointed out, Hongkong serves merely as an entrepôt for Chinese exports, the decline in the percentage to 21.56 per cent from 31.87 per cent in 1938 being due to the closure of the Pearl River, the blockade of the coast, and the spread of hostilities to the neighbouring provinces.
The excess of imports was again highest in the case of Japan with $247 million, followed by British India with $89 million, Australia with $62 million, the Kwantung Leased Territory with $50 million, Germany with $42 million, Netherlands India with $41 million, Brazil with $38 million, and Formosa with $22 million. Of countries other than Hongkong showing an excess of exports