Workers are pictured at a clam processing plant in Rudong, Jiangsu province, Sept 6, 2018. Rudong county exports 12,000 tons of clams annually to countries including Japan, Canada and the United States. [Photo/IC]

Rudong county in Nantong, Jiangsu province saw its foreign trade volume increase 47.3 percent year on year to 4.4 billion yuan ($65.74 million) in January, according to an announcement by the county's customs department, on Feb 22.

The county's exports grew by 27.3 percent year on year to 1.34 billion yuan and its imports totaled 3.07 billion yuan, an increase of 58.1 percent.

State-owned firms were responsible for the lion's share of foreign trade, with a total figure of 2.82 billion yuan.

Imports of petrochemicals witnessed rapid growth in January, with a 60.1 percent increase to 2.87 billion yuan.

Trade with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, European Union (EU) countries, and Japan and the United States all saw strong growth over the past month.

And the county's trade with countries along the Belt and Road grossed 2.03 billion yuan, 2.3 times more than January 2018.