Jinan, capital city of East China's Shandong province, saw rapid growth in its foreign trade in 2018. 

According to the statistics from the Jinan Municipal Bureau of Commerce, its total foreign trade revenue reached 82.5 billion yuan ($11.9 billion), up 16.2 percent over the previous year.

The city's export value increased by 14.6 percent to 51.9 billion yuan and its import value exceeded 30.5 billion yuan with 19 percent of year-on-year growth. Some backbone enterprises in Jinan contributed to the growth. 

The export value of the five major companies, Sinotruck, Inspur Group, Meide Group, Jinan Yuxing Chemical Co and Shandong Electric International Trade Co, totaled 18.67 billion yuan, up 40 percent, accounting for 36 percent of the total value of the city's total exports. 

As for imports, the five major companies exceeded 16 billion yuan with a year on year growth of 56.3 percent, accounting for 52.5 percent of the total value of the city's imports. They are Inspur Group, Shandong Iron and Steel Group, Jinan Welcome Industrial Co, Staeco and Sinotruck,

Private companies in Jinan have become a major driving force in its imports and exports. The export value of the private sectors grew by 13.3 percent, accounting for 70 percent of the city's total. 

Jinan's electromechanical and high-tech products in exports maintained steady growth throughout the year. The export of electromechanical products reached 37.2 billion yuan, up 17.5 percent year-on-year, accounting for 71.7 percent of the city's total exports. As for high-tech products, its exports value was up 65.6 percent to 9.2 billion, accounting for 17.9 percent of the city's total exports. 

Its exports for the United States saw dramatic growth over the previous year, up by 39.6 percent. The exports for the Asian market, the largest export market for the city, saw steady growth totaling 25.05 billion yuan, up 6.3 percent year-on-year.