ASEAN remains China's largest trading partner in first two months

A container is transported on a truck at the container terminal of the Lianyungang Port in Lianyungang City, east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 14, 2021. (Photo by Wang Chun/Xinhua)

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remained China's biggest trading partner in the first two months of this year, accounting for 14.4 percent of the country's total foreign trade volume, the People's Daily reported recently.

Data showed that China's trade with ASEAN stood at 786.2 billion yuan in the first two months of 2021, up 32.9 percent year on year. China's exports to ASEAN surged 43.2 percent on year to 439.83 billion yuan, while imports climbed 21.8 percent on year to 346.37 billion yuan.

In particular, China's trade with Vietnam jumped 56.5 percents year on year to 219.92 billion yuan in the first two months, while trade with Malaysia and Thailand rose 24.3 percent and 35.6 percent year on year to 149.13 billion yuan and 114.17 billion yuan, respectively.

The European Union is China's second largest trading partner with a 39.8-percent growth to 779.04 billion yuan in bilateral trade during the period, while the United States ranked third with a 69.6-percent increase to 716.37 billion yuan.

Meanwhile, China's foreign trade with the Belt and Road countries amounted to 1.62 trillion yuan in the first two months, up 23.9 percent year on year.