China's Anhui sees foreign trade up 16 pct in Q1

Visitors shop at the Exhibition of Import Commodity during the fourth World Manufacturing Convention in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, Nov. 20, 2021. (Xinhua/Han Xu)

HEFEI, April 16 (Xinhua) -- East China's Anhui Province saw robust foreign trade growth in the first quarter of 2022, according to local customs.

The province's total import and export value hit 173.29 billion yuan (about 27 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three months, up 16 percent year on year, according to data from Hefei Customs.

Exports rose 23.6 percent year on year to 102.61 billion yuan, while imports rose 6.5 percent to 70.68 billion yuan.

During the period, three major trading partners of Anhui consisted of the United States, the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Imports and exports between the province and countries along the Belt and Road soared to 44.53 billion yuan, up 20.9 percent compared with the same period in 2021.

Trade volume between the province and member states of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership hit 43.72 billion yuan, up 9.6 percent year on year, accounting for 25.2 percent of the province's total imports and exports in the first quarter.

During the period, the province exported 64.75 billion yuan of mechanical and electrical products, up 21.5 percent year on year, while exports of high-tech products and labor-intensive products increased 33.3 percent and 3.2 percent respectively.