KIEV, Nov 30: Trade between Ukraine and China is set to exceed a billion dollars (euros) in 2002, Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovitch was quoted on Saturday by Interfax news agency as saying.

During a visit by Chinese official Wang Zhongyu, Yanukovitch cited preliminary figures showing bilateral trade at over 900 million dollars from January to September of this year, roughly a 44 per cent jump in trade for the same period in 2001.

Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma, who is accused by the United States of personally approving the sale of embargo-busting military equipment to Iraq, visited China in mid-November.—AFP