China saw its export and import volume in service trade (excluding government service) total US$304.45 billion in 2008, up 21.3 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Wednesday.

The growth rate was down 9.6 percentage points compared with 2007, the MOC said on its web site, adding that the financial crisis had contributed to the drop of growth rate.

Service export hit US$146.45 billion last year, up 20.4 percent. Service import was US$158 billion, up 22.2percent year on year.

The export volume moved China to the fifth biggest service export country from the seventh in 2007. The country remained the fifth largest in terms of service import, according to MOC.

The trade deficit expanded to US$11.56 billion in 2008, up 51.9 percent from 2007, the largest since 1997.

China's Hong Kong, the U.S., the European Union, Japan, and the Association of South East Asian Nations are the five biggest service trade partners of the China's mainland, according to MOC.

The combined trade volume with the five partners stood at US$208.25 billion, accounting for 68.4 percent of the total.

(Xinhua News Agency May 7, 2009)