Containers stockpiled at a port in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/hz666.com]

Huzhou's imports and exports were valued at 74.39 billion yuan ($11.44 billion) in the first half of this year, an uptick of 1.5 percent year-on-year, according to official statistics from Huzhou Customs.

Specifically, the value of exports totaled 67.98 billion yuan, edging up 0.8 percent year-on-year, while imports amounted to 6.41 billion yuan, an increase of 9.8 percent.

In June alone, Huzhou's foreign trade volume hit 14.87 billion yuan, with exports amounting to 13.74 billion yuan.

The city's top five trading partners from January to June were the United States, the European Union, ASEAN, Latin America and the United Kingdom. Its trade with these economies accounted for 67 percent of the city's total.

In addition, the city's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative and other RECP member countries rose by 2.7 percent and 6.2 percent respectively.

Exports of high-tech products and mechanical and electrical products during the six-month period were valued at 9.55 billion yuan and 20.14 billion yuan, up 9.4 percent and 8.7 percent respectively.

Imports of wood products and agricultural products increased significantly in the first six months of this year. Specifically, the city imported 1.49 billion yuan of wood and wood products and 770 million yuan of agricultural products, a yearly uptick of 43.3 percent and 65.4 percent respectively.

Nearly 3,500 companies from the city imported or exported goods during the period, an increase of 3.2 percent over the same period in 2021.

Private enterprises were still the main engine driving the city's foreign trade growth. From January to June, imports and exports of private enterprises from Huzhou expanded 3 percent year-on-year to 59.38 billion yuan, accounting for 79.8 percent of the city's total.