Changzhou saw robust growth in its foreign trade in the first half of this year, said local customs.

The total import and export values reached 142.54 billion yuan in the January-June period, up 30.2 percent year on year, data from the Changzhou Customs showed.

Of the total, exports soared to 102.66 billion yuan, marking a 26.4-percent increase from the same period last year, while imports jumped 41.3 percent year on year to 39.88 billion yuan.

Among the major trading partners, Changzhou's foreign trade with the European Union (EU) witnessed a year-on-year growth of 19.7 percent to hit 25.27 billion yuan in the period.

The city’s trade with the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) also rose 23.2 percent and 38.4 percent to 20.8 billion and 19.03 billion yuan, respectively.

Changzhou's trade with countries of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) saw a strong increase, with 42.05 billion yuan registered in the first six months, up 32.6 percent year on year. Trade with member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) totaled 50.93 billion yuan, shooting up by 37.8 percent over the same period last year.

Due to the rocketing commodity prices, Changzhou’s import value of iron ore increased by 82.5 percent year on year, contributing 40.3 percent to total import growth. The city imported 16.55 billion yuan worth of mechanical and electrical products, representing 41.5 percent of the total imports during the first half of the year.

Meanwhile, the export of mechanical and electrical products, the largest category of exported goods during the period, reached 63.11 billion yuan, up 35.1 percent year on year, which accounted for 61.5 percent of the total export value.