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Goods are loaded onto an aircraft at Jiaxing Nanhu Airport before shipment to Los Angeles. [Photo provided to Tide News]

Jiaxing's foreign trade reached a record high in the first half of this year, with exports exceeding 200 billion yuan (about $30 billion) for the first time, underscoring the city's resilience amid a challenging global trading environment.

According to Jiaxing Customs, the city's total imports and exports rose 16.3 percent year-on-year to 283.81 billion yuan during the January-June period. Exports climbed 11.2 percent to 208.01 billion yuan, while imports surged 32.9 percent to 75.8 billion yuan.

ASEAN became Jiaxing's largest export market for the first time, overtaking the European Union. Exports to ASEAN jumped 45.1 percent to 50.5 billion yuan, accounting for nearly one-quarter of the city's total exports. Shipments to Malaysia and Singapore increased by 110 percent and 89.3 percent, respectively.

New growth drivers continued to emerge. Exports of lithium batteries and electric passenger vehicles increased by 130 percent and 580 percent, respectively. Cross-border e-commerce exports soared 80.5 percent to 36.85 billion yuan, accounting for 17.7 percent of total exports and contributing 8.8 percentage points to overall export growth.

The city's logistics network also expanded. On July 26, Jiaxing Nanhu Airport launched its first direct cargo route to Los Angeles, following earlier routes to Dhaka and Budapest, thereby strengthening the city's international air freight network. Meanwhile, Jiaxing Port handled 72.67 million metric tons of cargo and 2.42 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the first half, with container throughput up 13.8 percent year-on-year.