Zhanjiang's foreign trade with Belt & Road countries totaled 63.8 billion yuan ($9.1 billion) from January to September, a year-on-year increase of 25.4 percent.

Statistics from Zhanjiang Customs showed that the total trade value included 11.7 billion yuan in exports and 52.1 billion yuan in imports, up 33.2 and 13.7 percent over the same period last year, respectively.

General trade grew by 21.4 percent to 49 billion yuan in the first three quarters, accounting for 76.7 percent of total foreign trade. Processing trade reported a rise of 29.2 percent to 11 billion yuan during this period, and the trade value of bonded logistics goods increased by a whopping 61.8 percent to 3.2 billion yuan.

State-owned enterprises, whose import-export value grew by 27.1 percent to 57.3 billion yuan, emerged as a major contributor.

Trade with Iran, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Saudi Arabia, Zhanjiang's three largest trading partners, was recorded at 21.3 billion yuan, 12.3 billion yuan, and 8.3 billion yuan, respectively. Trade with these three areas made up 65.6 percent of the total.

Employees of a Zhanjiang aquatic export company process tilapia. [Photo/gdzjdaily.com.cn]