mould

China’s two-way trade in moulds grew 16.2％ year-on-year in the first half of 2006, to US$1.47 billion. Of that total, imports accounted for US$998 million (an increase of 5.7％) and exports made up US$473 million (up 46.9％). As the Chinese mould industry cannot yet meet the demand from the auto and electronics industries for mid- and high-end moulds, imports continued to increase in 2006-but at a much lower rate than in the previous two years. Exports of moulds from China have been growing steadily in recent years-especially in the mid- and low-end sectors, thanks to their strong price competitiveness and increasing procurement by multinationals. Exports are expected to top US$1 billion in 2006, cutting the country’s deficit in mould trade to under US$1.2 billion, and to keep expanding over the next several years. The largest mould-production base in the country is Guangdong Province, where large numbers of producers with foreign participation make up the backbone of the industry.