United States Department of COMMERCE NEWS  
Washington, D.C. 20230             

ECONOMICS AND STATISTICS ADMINISTRATION
Bureau of the Census
                                

IMPORTANT: For release 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, May 7, 2002   
                             
CB-02-60      Press Copy 

For more information contact:
Kathleen J. Puzzilla  (301) 457-3251                                
                                
                                
U.S. Goods Trade: Imports & Exports by Related Parties; 2001
                                
The Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce, announced today that 
in 2001 related party trade accounted for $526 billion or 47 percent of the 
total annual value of imports, and $223 billion or 31 percent of the total 
value of exports.   Related trade ratios were  almost the same for 1998, 
1999 and 2000, at 47 percent and 32 percent for imports and exports, 
respectively.  "Related party trade" includes trade by U.S. companies with 
their subsidiaries abroad as well as trade by U.S. subsidiaries of foreign 
companies with their parent companies.  (See Technical Documentation on page 
10 of this release for complete definition of "related party trade.")
                                
The ratio of goods trade by related parties varies markedly among our major 
trading partners; from highs of 74 percent for imports from Singapore and 
41 percent for exports to Netherlands, to lows of 18 percent for imports from 
China and 11 percent for exports to Eastern Europe (see Exhibits 1 & 2). 
Overall, the 2001 ratios of trade by related parties remained  similar, but 
slightly smaller, for most major trading partners than those reported for 2000, 
with only Other European Union (EU) and Brazil on the import side and Brazil, 
Singapore and Eastern Europe on the  export side, varying by more than 4 
percentage points.
                                
Roughly 47 percent of goods traded with our North American partners consisted 
of transactions between related parties.  This was down slightly from 48 percent 
in 2000.  Most of the decrease occurred in related trade with Canada, which 
dropped from 43 percent to less than 41 percent of total trade between our two 
countries.  Related party trade with Mexico increased slightly and accounted for 
almost 68 percent of total U.S. imports from Mexico.
                                
Exhibits 3, 4, 5, and 6 provide detailed commodity information in terms of the 
North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), thereby providing a direct 
link to domestic production data.  These tables are also sorted by NAICS to make 
it easier for users to compare  information between tables. 
                                
The top five 3-digit NAICS code for imports and exports accounted for approximately 
74 percent of total related party imports and exports (by value) in 2001 (refer 
to Exhibits 3 & 5).  These include: computer and electronic products; transportation 
equipment; chemicals;  machinery, except electrical; and electrical equipment, 
appliances and components.


For back issues of the related party trade release, contact Special Projects Branch 
of the Foreign Trade Division on (301) 457-3251.  The 1998-2000 releases can also be 
found at www.census.gov/foreign-trade.