国际英语新闻：UN body forecasts sharp rise in L. American, Caribbean exports

SANTIAGO, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- Exports from Latin America and the Caribbean will grow 21.4 percent this year, mainly boosted by the sales of South American raw materials, the Economic Commission for Latin American and the Caribbean said Thursday.

The UN body said in a report that the advance is due to growing exports to Asia, mainly China, and the normalization of U.S. demand. However, there were differences among countries in the region.

The boom was seen in raw material exporting countries, mainly in South America, while moderate expansion was reported in countries importing basic products and depending on tourism and remittances, such as Central America and the Caribbean.

The exports of the Common Market of the South would grow 23.4 percent this year and of the Andean countries 29.5 percent, but the sales of the Central American Common Market would grow only 10.8 percent, the UN body predicts.