Foreign companies accounted for more than half of China's foreign trade, taking almost three in every five dollars in imports and exports last year.

The 2005 Top 200 list of China's importers and exporters listed 148 foreign companies, up 50 percent from 2001, while four privately owned Chinese companies also elbowed their way on to the list.

"Compared with State-owned and collectively owned firms, foreign and privately owned companies showed greater growth potential in terms of imports and exports after China became a World Trade Organization (WTO) member," said Zhang Lichuan, director of the China Customs Statistics Department.

United States telecommunications giant Motorola was the top foreign-owned exporter in fourth place with exports worth US$6.45 billion, while Republic of Korea telecommunications and electronics giant Samsung was the top foreign-owned importer, bringing in goods worth US$4.32 billion and ranking ninth overall.

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