Tibet's foreign trade surges in H1

LHASA - The foreign trade of southwest China's Tibet autonomous region surged 140 percent year-on-year in the first half of 2021, as the region's economy continued to improve and global trade demands picked up, local customs data showed Wednesday.

The imports and exports of the region totaled 1.98 billion yuan ($304 million) in the first six months, the Lhasa customs said in a statement.

Yuan Jintao, an official with the Lhasa customs, said production and consumption demand in Tibet was strong in the January-June period thanks to effective epidemic control, while global trade demand also picked up with world economic recovery.

The region did trade with 54 countries and regions worldwide in the first half of the year. Germany was Tibet's largest trading partner in the period, with the trade value up almost 430 times to 947 million yuan, the data showed.

The region's imported goods were mainly high-tech products, with the import value reaching 963 million yuan. Its exports were mainly labor-intensive products, including clothes and shoes.