China's Shandong reports foreign trade surge in 2021

East China's Shandong Province saw its foreign trade surge 32.4 percent year on year to 2.93 trillion yuan (about 460.7 billion U.S. dollars) in 2021, local authorities said on Monday.

The province's exports reached 1.76 trillion yuan last year, up 34.8 percent from 2020, and imports hit 1.17 trillion yuan, an increase of 29 percent, said Zhang Yibing, deputy head of Jinan Customs in the provincial capital. Both growth rates were above the national average.

The province also reported a 40.8 percent surge in trade with countries along the Belt and Road. The figure hit 937.6 billion yuan, which accounted for 32 percent of the provincial total in 2021.

Trade with 14 other member countries of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership reached 1.03 trillion yuan last year, up 32.9 percent from 2020.