Foreign trade in Xiamen, East China's Fujian province totaled 144.22 billion yuan in the first three months of this year, up 3.7 percent year-on-year. [Photo/VCG] 

Foreign trade in the coastal city of Xiamen in East China's Fujian province reached 144.22 billion yuan ($20.37 billion) in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 3.7 percent year-on-year, according to statistics released by Xiamen Customs.

To reduce the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Xiamen government has done its utmost to facilitate foreign trade and investment and support economic development. An array of supportive measures was rolled out to help foreign trade firms resume operations, including advancing digital marketing and setting up Internet Plus Foreign Trade models.

In the first quarter, the city's exports totaled 70.63 billion yuan, down 8.8 percent year-on-year, and its imports grew 19.4 percent to 73.59 billion yuan, according to Xiamen customs.

The city's foreign trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) rose 11.6 percent to 26.73 billion yuan in the first three months, and the ASEAN was still Fujian's largest trade partner in that period, followed by the European Union and the United States.

Xiamen's trade with Australia reported a significant increase of 42.8 percent year-on-year to 12.95 billion yuan in the first three months of the year.