Follows here some data I collected on the EU in China, trade figures for 2006 (and compared to 2005) and the importance of the EU
Sources: Bloomberg – Xinhua – China Daily – EUCCC
China’s data (Ministry of Commerce)
– EU: top trading partner for China, accounting for 15.5% of total foreign trade
– Total Trade: US$ 272.3 billion, up 25.3%
– China’s trade surplus: US$ 91.7 billion, up 31% (from US$ 70.1 billion)
– Exports US$ 181.98 billion, up 27% – imports US$ 90.32 billion, up 23%
– China approved 2,738 EU-funded projects in 2006, involving a contracted EU investment of US$ 10.58 billion. A total of US$ 5.39 billion of EU funds were used last year.
– As of the end of last year, China had approved an accumulated 25,418 EU-funded projects, involving a contracted EU investment of US$ 97.95 billion. China had used US$ 53.18 billion of EU funds by the end of last year, or 8% of total foreign funds used in China.
– EU has been the largest technologies provider for China and it was the top source of technology import for China in 2006. China imported 2,597 items of technologies from EU last year, with contractual funds totaling US$ 8.66 billion or 39.3% of China’s total. The contractual funds volume was higher than that with Japan, totaling US$ 5.24 billion, and that with the United States, which was US$ 4.23 billion. China had imported an accumulated 24.108 items of technologies from EU by the end of last year, with contractual funds of US$ 98.66 billion.
According to EU figures, EU’s imports from China: 135.6 billion euros, 4.6 billion euros more than its imports from the United States. China has replaced the United States to become EU’s largest import market.
The EU has presently 27 member countries with a population of about 500 million.
The European Chamber (EUCCC): far over 1,100 members and 29 Working Groups
website: www.europeanchamber.com.cn

If you wonder how many inhabitants cities (really) have, like Beijing or Shanghai: figures vary so much among “official” figures that it takes genuine China insight to figure out the real one. See earlier blog entry on Beijing’s inhabitants (my estimate is near 20 million grand total for the whole Municipality, including the floating population). The confusion is not restricted to Chinese sources. In the Real Estate Focus of the China Economic Review (January 2007) I found the following figures:
– page 6: figures quoted from the Shanghai Statistics Bureau: “more than 100,000 foreigners” in Shanghai
– page 14: figures quoted from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security: at the end of 2005, over 150,000 foreigners were registered, 40,000 being in Shanghai; but “some estimate the true number of foreigners living in China at 300,000”.

So, you can guess yourself. Why the confusion? These are some of the factors:
– confusion between holders of work permits and the others (students, family members, diplomats, foreigners working or residing in China without the proper work permit;
– are people from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau included? Technically speaking they are “foreigners”, even if they enjoy some privileges. Some figures (credible?) mention one million Taiwanese in East China alone and other sources often quote very large Japanese and South Korean communities.

In other words – one has to be very cautious with those data. I wonder if the Chinese authorities actually have a clue. Most reliable would be the Immigration services – I understand their computerized records are very good – too good for foreigners who mistakenly believe they can escape income tax as the tax bureaus don’t know how many days in a year they are in China. As a matter of fact, the tax people can have a detailed and accurate report from the border police at any time. Be warned.

On 14 December 2006, I joined the New Members Cocktail at Eudora Station (near Lido Hotel), American Chamber in Beijing. Nice opportunity to meet people but I felt sorry for the girls of the ISB Middle School Girl Chorus who were performing with enthusiasm some seasonal songs – the majority of the expat crowd ignored them by chatting loudly. Rude behavior seems not limited to “local Chinese”. I think I was one of the few paying attention (and shutting up).
Pity because the girls did a great job and were charming.