Foreign purchasers select Christmas goods in Yiwu, Zhejiang province in December, 2018. [Photo/IC]

The foreign trade volume of East China's Zhejiang province rose 5.7 percent year on year to 1.41 trillion yuan ($205.1 billion) in the first half of the year, according to Hangzhou customs on July 19.

Zhejiang's exports totaled 1.05 trillion yuan, up 6.6 percent year on year while imports totaled 360.52 billion yuan, up 3.3 percent.

Statistics show that the province's foreign trade with countries along the Belt and Road maintains sustained and rapid growth.

Zhejiang has made remarkable achievements in market development with countries along the Belt and Road, especially for the newly emerging markets.

The province's foreign trade with ASEAN, Latin America and Africa amounted to 166.71 billion yuan, 130.02 billion yuan and 103.94 billion yuan, up 12.5 percent, 10.1 percent and 8.9 percent respectively, accounting for 28.4 percent of the province's total foreign trade volume in the first six months.

As a province with a thriving private economy, Zhejiang's private enterprises take a lead in its foreign trade. Private enterprises' export rose 8.4 percent to 827.41 billion yuan in the first half of the year, accounting for 78.9 percent of the province's total export trade volume, and contributed 98.2 percent of province's export growth.

Zhejiang has also optimized and developed the export commodity structure. High-tech products export reached 73.7 billion yuan, an increase of 11.8 percent year on year.