Trade between China's Guangdong Province and France surged 31.7 percent year-on-year to reach 2.89billion US dollars last year, accounting for 21.6 percent of the total trade volume between China and France.

Among European countries, France is the fourth biggest trade partner of Guangdong.

The trade volume between Guangdong and France, reached 19.22 billion US dollars in the 10-year period from 1994 to 2003, customs figures show.

Guangdong has reported increasing exports to France since 1995,with the annual trade surplus reaching 350 million US dollars between 1995 and 2001.

Benefiting from China's entry to the World Trade Organization in late 2001, Guangdong's exports to France expanded, with its trade surplus surging to 540 million US dollars in 2002 and 1.33 billion US dollars last year.

Guangdong's exports to France reached 2.11 billion US dollars last year, compared with the annual export volume of 1.07 billion US dollars for the previous nine years.

The province's export commodities have expanded from traditional labor-intensive products, such as handbags and boxes, plastic products and toys, to high-tech products including mobile phones, printing equipment, laptops and microwave ovens.

Guangdong mainly imports advanced technological equipment such as parts for generators, aircraft, nuclear reactors and mobile phones.

Editor: Wing