According to the latest data released by Rugao Customs, Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, Jiangsu, achieved a total foreign trade value of 11.24 billion yuan ($1.55 billion) from January to April this year, marking a 7.6 percent increase compared to the same period last year. This accounts for 9.7 percent of Nantong's total foreign trade value.

During this period, Rugao's exports reached 8.15 billion yuan, a 2.3 percent increase, while imports soared to 3.09 billion yuan, a substantial 24.5 percent rise.

Key export products such as electromechanical items and textiles saw continued growth. In particular, electromechanical product exports rose by 20.9 percent to 3.67 billion yuan, making up 45 percent of total exports.

In addition, imports of pulp and agricultural products experienced rapid growth. Pulp imports surged 2,820 percent to 930 million yuan, while agricultural product imports increased by 47.2 percent to 920 million yuan.

Foreign-invested enterprises remained a main driver of Rugao's foreign trade growth, recording imports and exports of 4.63 billion yuan. The number represented a 15.6 percent year-on-year increase and accounted for 41.2 percent of the total. Private enterprises in Rugao achieved a value of 6.1 billion yuan, accounting for 54.3 percent of the total.