An employee works on a smart robot assembly line in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, on Dec 14, 2021. [Photo by Hua Xuegen/for China Daily]
Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu province, posted a 6.7 percent year-on-year increase in foreign trade in the first four months of 2022, according to the latest data from Suzhou Customs.
The total value of the city's imports and exports exceeded 807.63 billion yuan ($119.85 billion) during the period. Exports grew 5 percent year-on-year to 466 billion yuan, while imports increased 9 percent year-on-year to 341.63 billion yuan.
The foreign trade of private enterprises in the city reached 236.87 billion yuan, an increase of 16.7 percent year-on-year, while imports and exports of foreign-invested enterprises in Suzhou hit 514.65 billion yuan, accounting for 63.7 percent of the city's total foreign trade value.
ASEAN, the European Union and the United States were Suzhou’s major trading partners, with imports and exports between Suzhou and the three regions increasing by 3.3 percent, 2.9 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively to 113.11 billion yuan, 113.06 billion yuan, and 106.9 billion yuan.
Foreign trade of mechanical and electrical products in the city was valued at 598.65 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 7.3 percent and accounting for 74.1 percent of the city's total foreign trade value. Exports increased by 3.8 percent yearly to 365.91 billion yuan, while imports increased by 13.3 percent yearly to 232.74 billion yuan.
Exports of some traditional products grew rapidly during this period as well. Exports of chemical industrial products, textile raw materials and products, and metal products were up 18.9 percent, 16.5 percent, and 9.2 percent, respectively.