1、Chinas commerce minister Chen Deming is suggesting that the country will become the worlds No. 1 importer within a few years. He also stated his opposition to measures taken by western countries to stimulate their economies - saying they are unfair to both domestic and international companies.Wei To
2、ng has more.Chen Deming made the remarks when addressing at the China Development Forum 2012 in Beijing.Many Western politicians blame China for global trade imbalance, but they seldom mentioned that China is also the worlds second largest importer. China will become the biggest one in a few years.
3、As to the import volume, we have a very short distance to the world largest importer. China can become the worlds largest domestic market in the next few years.Chen Deming said the growth rate of Chinas retail sales stayed between 16 percent and 18 percent over recent years, higher than its GDP grow
4、th, indicating the countrys huge purchasing potential.Chen added trade remedy measures taken by some developed countries are undesirable, because they are neither fair to other economies, nor fair to domestic citizens and enterprises.The United States said repeatedly that they would open the market,
5、 and they would make an open market policy to China. I had been listening to this for three years without seeing any practical actions taken. In the past, at least I could hear the sound of steps though seeing no people stepping downstairs, but now I cannot even hear the sound.On rare earth trade, t
6、he minister also expressed his opinion.We sell our rare earth to the United States, and the country puts our rare earth into its commodities. Then it says that exporting its commodities to China is unfavorable to its security. Is exporting our rare earth to the United States good for Chinas security
7、?Chen said many Western politicians blamed China for global trade imbalance, but they seldom mentioned that China, with its population accounting for 19 percent of the world total, is also the worlds second largest importer.He noted that emerging countries should base their growth on domestic demand
8、 so as to balance its growth, while opening their markets and facilitating trade in line with national conditions.Customs data shows that Chinas trade surplus narrowed 14.5 percent year-on-year to 155.14 billion U.S. dollars in 2011, with imports up 25 percent to 1.74 trillion U.S. dollars.The weeklong China Development Forum 2012 on the theme of China and the World: Macro-Stabilization and Economic Restructuring wrapped up Monday.For CRI, this is Wei Tong.