WTO Sees 25Pct Trade Expansion in H1

»The World Trade Organization said Wednesday that world trade in the first half of this year grew by 25 percent in volume terms, Xinhua reported.

»In the second quarter, the volume of imports and exports in Asia climbed more than 35 percent compared with the same period of last year, the WTO said in a statement.

»Africa and the Middle East also saw 35 percent rise during the same period, boosted by growing demand in Asia and the United States and soaring raw material prices. Meanwhile, exports in the Commonwealth of Independent States kept expanding with 44 percent in the second half.

»In China, imports rose 44 percent and exports grew 41 percent in the second quarter year-on-year; the two figures grew by 33 percent and 32 percent respectively in India, 56 percent and 29 percent respectively in Brazil, 32 percent and 25 percent respectively in the United States and 35 percent and 41 percent respectively in Japan.