Anhui’s trade with BRI countries up 38.5%

East China's Anhui province posted a 38.5 percent year-on-year increase in the volume of trade with countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during the first seven months of 2021, customs data showed.

The province’s trade with the BRI markets reached 97.05 billion yuan (about US$14.99 billion) between January and July, accounting for 25.8 percent of its total foreign trade value during the same period.

Its exports to the BRI markets stood at 69.87 billion yuan, up 31 percent, while imports rose 62.7 percent to 27.18 billion yuan.

In July alone, the province’s trade with the BRI countries and regions increased 5.3 percent year on year to 14.05 billion yuan.

Private enterprises remained the major force behind Anhui’s foreign trade growth. Their trade with the BRI markets reached 8.14 billion yuan in July, or 57.9 percent of the provincial total.

Meanwhile, state-owned enterprises saw an increase of 41.1 percent to 3.38 billion yuan. Foreign-funded companies posted a 0.8 percent drop in imports and exports, which stood at 2.53 billion yuan.

India, Vietnam and Indonesia were the major trading partners of the province last month.

Mechanical and electrical exports made up 60.1 percent of its total exports to the BRI countries and regions in July.