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World Business Quick Take

■ Trade
China tells US to end curbs
A top Chinese official said the US must phase out curbs on certain high-technology exports to China because these measures are a major contributor to the US trade deficit with that country. Vice Premier Wu Yi (吳儀) said in a speech on Thursday that the persistent US trade imbalance with China is far more compli-cated than many Americans believe. Wu acknowledged China bears some responsi-bility for the gap but said a determined Chinese effort over the past three years has produced a 76 percent increase in US exports to China. She compared this with a worldwide US export growth of only 9 percent during that period. "To expand US exports to China requires more than the uni-lateral efforts of China," Wu said, speaking at a dinner sponsored by the National Committee on US-China Relations, the US Chamber of Commerce and the US-China Business Council. "The American side should also show sincerity and take concrete actions to relax unreasonable controls on its exports to China."

■ Internet
Amazon's earnings strong
Internet retailer Amazon.-com Inc handily beat anal-ysts' expectations for its first-quarter earnings on Thursday, crediting the success to low prices and expanded selection. It reported net income of US$111 million, or US$0.26 per share, for the quarter ended March 31. It lost US$10.1 million, or US$0.03 a share, in the same period a year ago. Excluding one-time costs, Amazon said it would have earned US$0.23 per share, exceeding the average estimate of US$0.19 by analysts surveyed by Thomson First Call. Net sales were US$1.53 billion, compared to US$1.08 billion for the same period, when Amazon was struggling to make its first profit outside a holiday season.

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