Beijing's foreign trade hits record high in H1

BEIJING - Beijing's foreign trade hit a record high of 1.42 trillion yuan ($219 billion) in the first half of the year, up 26 percent year-on-year, the city's customs bureau said on Tuesday.

Beijing's exports grew 18.1 percent year-on-year to 293 billion yuan, and imports increased 28.2 percent to 1.13 trillion yuan.

Its foreign trade in June was 266.7 billion yuan, the highest monthly figure since December 2019.

In the January-June period, Beijing's trade with the European Union, the United States, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations each continued to account for over 10 percent of the city's total.

The top import commodities were automobiles and agricultural products, respectively rising by 71.2 percent and 53.6 percent year-on-year.

High-tech products continued to drive Beijing's export growth and included mobile phones, integrated circuits, and medicines and medical materials.