The import and export volume of China's privately-owned companies reached 224.37 billion U.S. dollars in 2005, accounting for 16 percent of the country's total trade, the Ministry of Commerce said on Friday.

The year-on-year growth rate of private companies' foreign trade was 38.9 percent in 2005, 15.7 percentage points higher than that for the country's total trade, the ministry said.

In 2005, the export volume of private companies reached 148.98 billion dollars, up 47.3 percent year on year. The growth rate was 18.9 percentage points higher than that for the country's total export.

In the year, the import volume of private companies reached 75.39 billion dollars, up 24.8 percent year on year. The growth rate was 7.2 percentage points higher than that for the country's total import.

Source: Xinhua