Value of Technology Import in the First Quarter Increasing by 70%

According to statistics of the Ministry of Commerce, 2875 contracts of technology import were registered in the first quarter of 2006 in China with a value of US$7.22 billion, up by 29.6% and 72% respectively on a year-on-year basis. Technology fee reached US$3.76 billion, accounting for 52.1% of total contracts value. Technology import nationwide maintained a strong momentum of increase.

　　Transaction value of joint-venture or cooperation production with content of technology import amounted to US$2.02 billion, up by over 16 times and accounting for 28.1% of total value of contracts. Import value of proprietary technology with licensing, complete set and key equipments were US$1.69 billion and US$1.37 billion respectively, accounting for 23.4% and 19% respectively of total value of technology import and ranking No. 2 and 3.

　　Japan is the biggest source of China's technology import in the first quarter. Value of signed technology import contracts between China and Japan hit US$2.73 billion, up by 1.8 times and accounting for 37.8% of total contracts of technology import. EU and USA ranked No. 2 and 3, and the value reached US$2.52 billion and US$720 million respectively, accounting for 34.9% and 10% respectively.

　　Value of technology import by state-owned enterprises amounted to US$3.73 billion, up by 100% on a year-on-year basis and accounting for 51.7% of total value of national technology import; by foreign investment enterprises were US$3.26 billion, accounting for 45.2% of total value of technology import of China. State-owned enterprises kept the trend of a strong increase in technology import after exceeding foreign investment enterprises at the end of the previous year.

　　Import of complete set and key equipments such as Railway locomotives drove up the high-speed increase of technology import. Railway transportation became the industry with the biggest increase rate in national technology import. In the first quarter, railway transportation totally imported US$2.51 billion technology, up by 11 times on a year-on-year basis, accounting for 34.8% of total contracts value of technology import in the industry of complete set and key equipments. In the same period, technology import in electronic and telecommunication equipment manufacture and transport equipment manufacture amounted to US$1.5 billion and US$530 million respectively, accounting for 21% and 7.3% respectively and ranking No.2 and 3.