China reports robust trade with countries along B&R in H1

BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) – Trade between China and countries along the Belt and Road witnessed robust growth in the first half of this year, official data showed Tuesday.
China’s total imports and exports with these countries surged 27.5 percent year on year to 5.35 trillion yuan (about 826 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-June period, according to Li Kuiwen, a spokesperson with the General Administration of Customs.
The trade volume accounted for 29.6 percent of China’s total foreign trade in the same period, while the growth stood at 0.4 percentage points faster than the overall pace, Li told a press conference.
China’s exports to countries along the Belt and Road expanded 29.1 percent year on year in the six-month period, led by steel and auto products, Li said.
Meanwhile, imports from these nations went up 25.6 percent, with imports of crude oil, farm produce and metal ore reporting steady growth.