General Administration of Customs: China's imports and exports increased by 10.7% in the first quarter. Foreign trade started smoothly.

At 10:00 on April 13, the Information Office of the State Council held a press conference. According to a person in charge of the General Administration of Customs, the total value of China's foreign trade imports and exports in the first quarter was 9.42 trillion yuan, an increase of 10.7 percent over the same period last year.

Customs statistics show that in the first quarter of this year, the total value of China's foreign trade imports and exports totaled 9.42 trillion yuan, up 10.7 percent, of which exports totaled 5.23 trillion yuan, up 13.4 percent over the same period last year, while imports totaled 4.19 trillion yuan, up 7.5 percent over the same period last year. China's exports of mechanical and electrical products totaled 3.05 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.8 percent over the same period last year, of which exports of solar cells, lithium batteries and cars increased by 100.8 percent, 53.7 percent and 83.4 percent, respectively.

Li Kuiwen, director of the Statistical and Analysis Department of the General Administration of Customs: China's foreign trade imports and exports have continued their growth momentum, maintaining positive year-on-year growth for seven consecutive quarters. In the first quarter of this year, it grew by more than 10% compared with the same period last year, achieving a stable start. It has laid a good foundation for achieving the target for the whole year.

Customs statistics show that in the first quarter, China's foreign trade structure continued to optimize, with general trade imports and exports totaling 5.95 trillion yuan, an increase of 13.9 percent over the same period last year. China's imports and exports to ASEAN, the European Union, the United States and South Korea were 1.35 trillion yuan, 1.31 trillion yuan, 1.18 trillion yuan and 574.18 billion yuan respectively, up 8.4%, 10.2%, 9.9% and 12.3% respectively over the same period last year. ASEAN continues to be China's largest trading partner, accounting for 14.4% of China's total foreign trade value.

In the same period, imports and exports between China and countries along the "Belt and Road Initiative" route totaled 2.93 trillion yuan, an increase of 16.7 percent over the same period last year. China and 14 other members of the RCEP import and export totaled 2.86 trillion yuan, an increase of 6.9 percent over the same period last year.

Tu Xinquan, dean of the China World Trade Organization Research Institute of the University of International Business and Economics, said: China's foreign trade continues to improve, with steady growth in quantity and significant improvement in quality, which ensures the integrity and stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain; at the same time, China's imports continue to expand, effectively increasing world market demand, and enhancing China's competitiveness and share in the world market.