Chinese Vice President Zeng Qinghong says China's imports have helped create 10 million jobs worldwide since it joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.
Zeng made the comments during opening remarks Saturday at a regional meeting of politicians, business leaders and academics on China's southern island of Hainan.
China's official Xinhua News Agency quoted Zeng as saying that since 2001 it has annually imported nearly $500 billion worth of goods from around the world.
Xinhua says more than 850 participants from about 40 countries are attending the annual Boao Forum for Asia. The meeting is expected to focus on topics including regional economic cooperation, the Doha round of WTO talks and other global issues.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP.
