China trade surge

CHINA is closing in on a milestone in its trade with Jamaica.

After selling a record US$878.6 million worth of goods to the island last year, the Asian manufacturing giant is now within striking distance of becoming a US$1-billion-a-year supplier to Jamaica. And it has got there quickly.

In 2021, Jamaica imported US$463.8 million worth of goods from China, according to official data compass, the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (Statin). Four years later, that bill had climbed by almost US$415 million, with China’s share of the island’s imports moving from 7.8 per cent to 11.7 per cent.