CHINA may be moving towards a more market-driven economy, but its trading heavyweights remain firmly in state hands, new data from Chinese Customs show.
Of the top 20 import-export firms last year ranked by total volume, 19 are government-run. The exception, as previously, was Volkswagen AG's joint venture in Shanghai.
The three biggest are processing and service firms located in Guangdong province.
Four more from there made the top 20 list.
The customs figures do not break down each firm's imports and exports. China's overall overseas purchases surged 29 per cent to US$103.95 billion last year, while exports grew eight per cent to $91.77 billion.
The deficit of $12.18 billion was the biggest since the $14.9 billion of 1985 and the first since the $6.6 billion gap in 1989.