China's goods trade with B&R countries totals 9.2 trln USD: vice-minister

Aerial photo taken on April 15, 2020 shows Qinzhou Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Lei Jiaxing)

The volume of goods trade between China and the Belt and Road countries has amounted to 9.2 trillion U.S. dollars since the Belt and Road Initiative was proposed in 2013,  a senior official with the Ministry of Commerce said.

In 2020, China saw its trade of goods with countries along the Belt and Road total 1.4 trillion U.S. dollars, up 0.7 percent year on year, said Qian Keming, Vice Minister of Commerce, at the ongoing four-day Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference 2021 held in China's southern island province of Hainan.

In the first quarter of this year, the country's trade of goods with B&R countries rose 21.4 percent year on year to 2.5 trillion yuan (about 383.24 billion U.S. dollars), accounting for 29.5 percent of China's total foreign trade.

China's non-financial direct investment in B&R countries reached 4.42 billion dollars in the first quarter, up 5.2 percent year on year.

Besides, a total of 1,241 new enterprises from B&R countries were established in China during the period, up 44 percent year on year.

Global cross-border direct investment declined due to the adverse effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, Qian said, adding that despite this, China's cooperation with B&R countries has seen fruitful results amid steady development.