The company sold US$2.2 billion goods on overseas markets last year, according to customs statistics.

It was followed by the China National Chemicals Import and Export Corp (Sinochem), which exported US$2 billion last year, the China National Offshore Oil Corp that exported US$1.5 billion, Shanghai Textile (Group) Corp with US$1.3 billion exported and China Petroleum and Chemical Corp (Sinopec) with US$1.2 billion.

Sinopec, Sinochem, Motorola, Oriental International and China National Posts and Telecommunications Industry Corp are the five companies with the largest foreign trade volume, according to the MOFTEC.

This is the 11th time that the MOFTEC has issued lists of China's 500 companies with the largest foreign trade volume and the 200 largest exporters.

Exports of the 200 companies totalled US$73.6 billion last year, up 41.5 percent year-on-year and making up 30 percent of the country's total exports.

Foreign trade volume of the 500 companies reached US$204.1 billion, up 52 percent and accounting for 43 percent of the country's total last year.

MOFTEC officials said a key feature of the lists is that the number of electronic, IT and other high-tech companies increased and moved ahead on the lists.

Industrial companies and foreign-invested companies surpassed many foreign trade companies on the lists, said the officials.

The number of State-owned companies decreased to 243 among the list of 500 largest foreign trade companies and the number of foreign-invested companies increased to 244.

(China Daily 08/17/2001)