Xiamen accounts for 50% of foreign trade in Fujian

The foreign trade value of Xiamen in East China's Fujian province accounted for half of the province's total in the first half of the year, according to Xiamen Customs.

Xiamen's import and export value accounted for 46.5 percent of Fujian's total, exceeding the combined foreign trade volume of Fuzhou and Quanzhou, two other well-performing cities in Fujian.

"Xiamen's export value accounted for 41.2 percent of the province's total, while its import value occupied 55.8 percent," said Chen Zhongxiong, director of the statistical analysis office of Xiamen Customs.

The foreign trade value of Xiamen jumped 3.8 percent year-on-year to 2.95 trillion yuan ($42.97 billion) in the first half of the year, second only to Shenzhen among the five special economic zones in China.

The city's export value surged 7.9 percent year-on-year to 167.17 billion yuan in September, while its import value slumped 1.2 percent year-on-year to 128.25 billion yuan.

The trade surplus in the city expanded 55.1 percent to 38.92 billion yuan during the same period.

Statistics show that in the first six months, Xiamen traded 92.95 billion yuan worth of goods with countries along the Belt and Road route, an increase of 6.3 percent year-on-year. The city's trade with Pakistan and Ukraine surged 120 percent and 88.1 percent respectively compared to the same period in 2018.

The export volume of granite materials and products as well as LED modulator tubes in the city ranked first among Chinese cities during the first half of the year.