CHINA BECOMES WORLD'S BIGGER TRADING NATION

China's annual trade in goods passed the $4trn  mark for the first time in 2013, official data has revealed, confirming its position as the world's biggest trading nation.

Exports from the world's number two economy rose 7.9% to $2.21trn

Imports increased 7.3% to $1.95trn

The trade surplus stood at $259.75bn up 12.8% from 2012.

Total trade came to $4.16trn, an increase of 7.6%, just below the government's 8% target.

The total was a record high and effectively confirmed a historic geo-economic shift, making China the world's biggest trader of physical goods, not including services.

Further confirmation of the new status is expected to come when full US data for the year is released.

The European Union was China's biggest trading partner, GAC said, followed by the United States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), Hong Kong and Japan.

Between them, the traditional markets of the EU, US and Japan accounted for 33.5% of China's trade, down 1.7%, suggesting emerging markets' share of business was growing.