Containers are loaded onto a cargo vessel at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Ningbo, Zhejiang province. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

East China's Zhejiang province recorded 989.01 billion yuan ($143.64 billion) in total imports and exports in the first two months of the year, up 17.1 percent year-on-year, according to Hangzhou Customs data.

Exports reached 768.51 billion yuan, rising 21.4 percent year-on-year, while imports totaled 220.5 billion yuan, up 4.3 percent.

Trade with major partners continued to expand. Zhejiang's trade with the European Union reached 156.39 billion yuan in the period, an increase of 19.8 percent year-on-year. Trade with emerging markets also posted double-digit growth. Trade with ASEAN and Africa rose 38.6 percent and 36.5 percent, respectively, contributing 5.3 and 2.7 percentage points to the province's overall trade growth. Trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative totaled 572.78 billion yuan, up 20.5 percent.

Private firms remained the main driver of trade expansion. Their combined imports and exports reached 827.13 billion yuan in the first two months, up 20.5 percent year-on-year and accounting for 83.6 percent of the provincial total. Trade by foreign-invested enterprises rose 8.2 percent to 113.93 billion yuan.

Imports also expanded steadily. Imports of mechanical and electrical products reached 34.79 billion yuan, up 16.1 percent year-on-year. Consumer goods imports totaled 24.46 billion yuan, increasing 13 percent and further expanding purchasing options for residents. Among them, food imports grew 19.8 percent.