According to data released by the ministry of commerce on 5 september in beijing by xinhua news agency (reporter yu jia xin), between january and july 2018, the total import and export of our services amounted to $297. 5. 4 billion, an increase of 9. 9 per cent over the same period, representing a record increase in the scale of services exports and imports since the first half of the year, and a new increase in services exports in the previous seven months。
According to ministry of commerce data, our services exports in the previous seven months had increased by 14. 6 per cent by 98. 75 billion yuan; imports had increased by 7. 7 per cent by 1987. 9 billion yuan; and a deficit of 10,390 million yuan. Our services trade accounted for 15. 1 per cent of foreign trade (trade in goods and trade in services), an increase of 0. 1 percentage points over the same period of the previous year and an increase of 1. 3 percentage points over the same period in the import and export of goods。
According to lee won, deputy director of the department of services and trade, ministry of commerce, the record level of service exports and imports in the first seven months was largely a result of the steady consolidation of the positive dynamic in the domestic economy since the beginning of the year, the successive open-door initiatives and services trade policies that have significantly improved the quality of economic development, boosted the internal dynamism of foreign trade and provided a strong support for the development of our trade in services。
It was described that our services exports grew at a high rate from january to july, with a 20 per cent increase to 20. 3 per cent in july alone. Among them, the three areas of growth ranked highest were telecommunications computer and information services, insurance services, personal culture and entertainment services, with increases of 56. 2 per cent, 44. 9 per cent and 33. 6 per cent, respectively, and other commercial services, telecommunications computers and information services, travel, with imports and exports of 25,779 million, 17,322 million and 15,144 million, respectively。
At the same time, our trade in services structure has been further optimized at an all-time high. Between january and july, the total volume of emerging services imports and exports was 98. 884 billion yuan, an increase of 20. 3 per cent, which was higher than the overall rate of increase in services imports and exports of 10. 4 percentage points; the east and west regions experienced the fastest growth in services imports and exports of 12. 9 per cent and 11. 6 per cent, respectively, and the national rate of increase in services imports and exports during the same period; and the pilot regions experienced a growing lead role, with 17 per cent growth in services imports and exports in the 17 pilot areas for the innovative development of trade in services compared to the same period and 7. 1 percentage points higher than the national rate of increase。
In an interview with a journalist, lee joon, director of the institute of international trade in services, research institute, department of commerce, said that, against the backdrop of the many uncertainties facing our foreign trade this year, the continued high level of trade in services imports and exports is closely linked to a stable and favourable economic situation in the country, which is linked to the optimal structure of the economy and the rising share of the tertiary sector, mutually reinforcing and reinforcing each other. He said that trade in services was at a dynamic stage and had greater development potential and prospects than trade in goods。
