China becomes the UK's largest source of imports for the first time



         According to the British media "The Times", during the second quarter of this year, during the worst of the new crown epidemic in the United Kingdom, Britain's imports from China surpassed imports from any other country for the first time. According to reports, in the second quarter of this year, 1 pound of every 7 pound goods imported by the UK came from China. Chinese companies exported a total of 11 billion pounds worth of goods to the UK. Among them, textiles have grown substantially. This includes medical masks used by the British National Medical Service System and electronic products such as home computers for remote work.


   The report pointed out that China is usually Britain’s second largest import partner, exporting approximately 45 billion pounds worth of goods to the UK every year, which is 20 billion pounds less than Britain’s largest import partner Germany. However, in the second quarter of this year, as Britain’s imports from China increased while imports from other countries decreased, the proportion of Chinese goods in Britain’s total imports rose to 13.4%. Among them, China's textile exports to the UK increased by 900 million pounds to 1.16 billion pounds; and its electronic product exports to the UK increased by 750 million pounds to 3.87 billion pounds.


   The National Bureau of Statistics report also shows that in the first half of this year, a quarter of the electronic machinery products imported by the UK came from China. In the third quarter of this year, Britain’s imports of Chinese clothing increased by 1.3 billion pounds.


   Previously, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development predicted that the Chinese economy will grow by 1.8% this year. In contrast, the global economy will decline by 4.2%, while the British economy will decline by 11.2%.