Yiwu's total import and export value reached 118.44 billion yuan ($17.18 billion) in the first quarter of this year, an increase of 11.4 percent year-on-year, Yiwu Customs announced on April 21.

Exports were worth 107.09 billion yuan, an increase of 11 percent year-on-year, while imports totaled 11.35 billion yuan, an increase of 15.6 percent year-on-year.

In the first quarter, Yiwu's imports and exports to Africa, Latin America and the European Union were worth 20.85 billion yuan, 17.23 billion yuan and 16.17 billion yuan, up 13.8 percent, 27.4 percent and 26.5 percent year-on-year respectively.

Yiwu imported consumer goods worth 6.94 billion yuan, an increase of 21.2 percent year-on-year in the same period. Among them, imported beauty and personal care products were worth 1.29 billion yuan, an increase of 59.8 percent year-on-year.