Small, mid-sized American shippers increase exports to China

Small, mid-sized American shippers increase exports to China    The U.S. Commerce Department released data showing that small and mid-sized American shippers have increased their exports to China by 41 percent from 1999 to 2002.
   According to the department, small to mid-sized shippers comprise 87 percent of today’s 16,434 U.S. exporters selling to China.
   In 2004, U.S. exports to China increased more than 22 percent to $34.7 billion. China is the country’s fifth-largest trading partner. Top U.S. exports to China include nuclear components, electric machinery and equipment, medic and surgical instruments, planes, and plastic products.
   The Commerce Department said American shippers with a marketing presence in Shanghai and Beijing can expand their distribution networks to additional cities under the recently announced American Trading Centers Initiative.
   Through this program, U.S. companies have exclusive access to a network of 14 regional offices in China, operated by the Commerce Department’s U.S. Commercial Service and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. Services include providing the latest marketing intelligence, scheduling individual appointments with potential agents and distributors, organizing translation services, hotel rooms, and local transportation.
   For more information, access the China Business Information Center’s Web site at https://www.export.gov/china .