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

ECONOMICS
  AND
STATISTICS
ADMINISTRATION
------------
U.S. Census Bureau

     
This release contains sensitive economic data not to be released before 
8:30 a.m. Thursday,April 10, 2003                                               
                                
CB-03-45    Press Copy 
FT-900 (03-01)                                                                           

For Information Contact :
Emmanuel O. Omoruyi     (301) 763-3251
Kathleen J. Puzzilla           (301) 763-3251
                                
U.S. GOODS TRADE: Imports & Exports by Related Parties; 2002

 The U.S. Census Bureau, U.S. Department of Commerce, announced today that in 2002 related 
party trade accounted for $770 billion or 42 percent of total goods trade.  Related party 
trade  accounted for $549 billion or 48 percent of the total  imports, and $221 billion or 
32 percent of the total exports.   In 2001 related party trade was 40 percent of total goods 
trade, 47 percent of total imports and 31 percent of total exports.  Most of the increase on 
the export side was due to more complete reporting.  "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.

 The ratio of goods trade by related parties varies markedly among our major trading partners, 
from  highs of 76 percent for imports from Japan and 43 percent for exports to Mexico to lows 
of 13 percent for imports from Hong Kong and 12 percent for exports to China and OPEC countries.
Almost all major trading partners increased their related trade shares in 2002, with Taiwan and 
Germany on the export side and France, United Kingdom, Japan, Argentina and Brazil on the import
side increasing by  three percentage points or more each.  The largest increase for a country 
grouping, almost 4 percentage points, occurred with imports from Other Pacific Rim countries.  
Related party trade with selected countries and world areas is presented in
Exhibits 1 and 2.

 Roughly 48 percent of goods traded with our North American partners consisted of transactions 
between related parties.  This was up from 47 percent in 2001.  Most of this increase occurred 
on the export side where related trade increased from 40 percent in 2001 to nearly 43 percent 
in 2002.

 Exhibits 3, 4, 5, and 6 provide commodity information in terms of the North American Industry
Classification System (NAICS), thereby providing a direct link to domestic production data.  
Related party trade is concentrated in a few 3-digit NAICS codes.  In 2002, the top five 3-digit
NAICS codes (by value) accounted for approximately 76 percent of total related party imports and
66 percent of the total related party exports.  NAICS 336 (Transportation equipment) and NAICS 
334 (Computer and electronic products) were numbers one and two, respectively, for both 
directions of trade.  (Refer to Exhibits 3 and 5.)
                                              

                                                                 













