Foreign trade in Changzhou hit 76.32 billion yuan in the first quarter of 2022, a 15.3-percent increase from the same period of last year.

Of the total trade volume, exports rose 22.2 percent year on year to 58.95 billion yuan.

Mechanical and electrical products accounted for 61.5 percent of the city's exports in Q1, expanding by 23 percent to 36.26 billion yuan.

Exports of high-tech products reached 10.69 billion yuan, up 40.9 percent from a year earlier, while products relating to solar photovoltaic (PV) registered 820 million yuan, up 59 percent.

Private enterprises are the key to a stabilized foreign trade. From January to March, private enterprises contributed more than half to Changzhou's foreign trade volume, rising 15.9 percent year on year to 39.85 billion yuan.

Imports and exports by foreign-invested enterprises reached 32.8 billion yuan, a 13.4-percent increase from the same period of last year.

The city's largest trade partners in the first quarter were the European Union, the United States, and the ASEAN, with a total trade volume of 15.41 billion yuan, 11.14 billion yuan, and 10.84 billion yuan, respectively.

Total trade of goods between Changzhou and Belt & Road countries reached 23.95 billion yuan, representing 31.4 percent of the city’s foreign trade volume, while trade with RCEP members logged steady growth, increasing 9.7 percent from a year earlier to 25.85 billion yuan.