2019 foreign trade up 3.4% as American imports rise

Increased imports from the United States will not reduce China's import volume from other countries, after the signing of the first-phase economic and trade agreement between China and the US, a senior customs official said on Tuesday.

China has a large and diversified market and Sino-US trade will make new progress on the basis of mutual benefit after the signing of the agreement, which will help the two countries and the whole world, Zou Zhiwu, vice-minister of the General Administration of Customs, said at a news conference in Beijing.

Imports from the US saw a recovery in growth from November to December. In particular, US shipments to China rose 9.1 percent year-on-year to 78.83 billion yuan ($11.46 billion) in December.