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China-ASEAN trade up 4.8 percent in H1

Trade volume between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached over 220 billion USD in the first half of this year, up 4.8 percent year on year, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.
Trade volume between China and the Association of Southeast AsianNations (ASEAN) reached over 220 billion USD in the first half of thisyear, up 4.8 percent year on year, according to the Chinese Ministry ofCommerce.

Investment between the two sides hit 120 billion USD inlate June, with 80 billion USD from ASEAN and 40 billion USD fromChina.

Among ASEAN members, Singapore remains the biggest investor in China with 7.2 billion USD last year.

Meanwhile,Malaysia became the first in the region to handle more than 100 billionUSD in trade with China in 2013, and the third Asian country to achievesuch trade figure with China annually, after Japan and the Republic ofKorea.

Last year, China and ASEAN saw a rise of 10.9 percent to444 billion USD in trade, higher than a 7.6 percent increase in China'stotal foreign trade.

China is now the largest trading partner of ASEAN which, in turn, has emerged as China's third-largest partner.-VNA
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