China's auto exports doubled to 300,000 units in 2006, exceeding its imports for the second year in a row, according to the Customs figures yesterday.

Auto imports reached 229,000 units in 2006, up 40.7 percent year-on-year.

Steel exports hit a record high in 2006 despite government cooling measures and anti-dumping investigations launched by trade partners. China exported 43.01 million tons of steel in 2006, up 109.6 percent year-on-year, while imports dropped 28.3 percent to 18.51 million tons.

China's booming steel exports have long been blamed for trade friction. Steel producers in the United States appealed to US trade officials twice last year, demanding action to counter China's alleged subsidies to its steel manufacturers.

To ease tensions and to slow the production of energy- and resource-intensive products, the government cut the export tax rebate rate of steel products three times since last year, and ended subsidies to steel producers.

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