Three 300,000-metric-ton vessels berth simultaneously at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang province on Dec 10. [Photo/IC]

The foreign trade of Zhejiang province maintained steady growth in the first 11 months of the year, with total imports and exports reaching 5.06 trillion yuan ($710 billion), up 5.3 percent year-on-year, Hangzhou Customs data showed on Dec 11.

Exports rose 7.1 percent to 3.83 trillion yuan, while imports edged up 0.1 percent to 1.23 trillion yuan. Zhejiang accounted for 12.3 percent of China's total trade, 15.7 percent of exports, and 7.4 percent of imports during the period.

ASEAN further consolidated its position as Zhejiang's largest trading partner. Trade with the bloc totaled 786.81 billion yuan from January to November, up 15.4 percent, lifting its share of the province's total trade to 15.5 percent. The European Union ranked second, with trade growing 8.3 percent to 770.14 billion yuan.

Private firms remained the main engine of growth. Their combined imports and exports climbed 7.0 percent to 4.16 trillion yuan, accounting for 82.1 percent of the provincial total. Imports by private companies rose 1.7 percent to 858.61 billion yuan. Trade by foreign-invested enterprises also expanded, increasing 2.8 percent to 619.78 billion yuan.

On the import side, mechanical and electrical products posted strong gains. Imports in the category rose 21.8 percent to 218.42 billion yuan, led by sharp increases in aircraft and computer-related products. Consumer goods imports grew 8.7 percent to 143.46 billion yuan, while agricultural imports rose 10.6 percent to 112.04 billion yuan.