China will continue to face trade frictions in 2007 despite the
government's cooling measures, says a report by the Chinese Academy
of Sciences (CAS).
Exports will rise steadily and rapidly, notably in sectors such
as textiles and televisions sets where China is highly competitive
despite a slow-down in the long term, said CAS researcher Wang
Taoyang, the chief compiler of the report.
Emerging fields where China has showed strength in recent years
like iron and steel, information technology equipment, automobiles
and the chemical industry will become new tension points in which
developed nations find it easier to launch protection measures,
such as changing technical standards.
Trade disputes with developing countries such as the Czech
Republic, Turkey, Ukraine, Mexico and Brazil will possibly occur
due to their overlapping strengths in manufacturing and lack of
complementary economic structures.
Official figures show China's aggregate trade surplus surged to
US$156.52 billion in the year to November 2006, dwarfing the US$102
billion for the whole of 2005 despite the government's efforts to
balance payments.
The government has not released the December figures and Xinhua
economic analysts predict the trade surplus is expected to break
US$200 billion in 2006.
Wang said the country should attach equal importance to
stimulating overseas and domestic demand to support the sustainable
economic development.
The country should quicken the pace of improving the
market-based economic system to meet WTO rules and enhance its
legal framework, he said.
(Xinhua News Agency January 4, 2007)