Beijing's medical supply exports soar in 2020

BEIJING - Beijing saw its exports of medical supplies rise dramatically in 2020, customs data showed on Monday.

Beijing's textile and clothing exports, the majority of which were surgical masks and hazmat suits, last year soared by 202.7 percent from 2019 to 35.21 billion yuan ($5.4 billion). Exports of medical instruments and devices totaled 11.34 billion yuan in 2020, up 138.5 percent year-on-year, and exports of pharmaceutical materials and drugs registered a 64.3 percent rise to 6.77 billion yuan, according to Beijing Customs.

Beijing's foreign trade was hit hard by the novel coronavirus in the first half of 2020, but gradually returned to normal as the epidemic waned and production resumed.

In the second half of 2020, Beijing's foreign trade hit 1.19 trillion yuan, up 5.7 percent from the first six months. Foreign trade in Beijing dropped 19.1 percent to 2.32 trillion yuan for the whole year.

In addition to medical supplies, Beijing exported 65.6 billion yuan worth of mobile phones in 2020, up 50 percent year-on-year and accounting for approximately 14.1 percent of the city's total exports.

Imports of automobiles last year increased in Beijing, growing 8 percent from the previous year. Imports of iron ore and iron ore concentrates also rose, climbing 11 percent from 2019.