A container vessel docks at Ningbo Zhoushan Port in Zhejiang province. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

According to Hangzhou Customs, Zhejiang's trade volume reached 4.81 trillion yuan ($660 billion) from January to November, up 6.9 percent year-over-year.

Exports accounted for 3.57 trillion yuan, rising 9 percent and already surpassing the province's total export volume for all of 2023.

The European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the United States remained Zhejiang's top trading partners, with trade values of 711.2 billion yuan, 680.9 billion yuan, and 675 billion yuan, growing 7 percent, 7.8 percent, and 12.8 percent respectively.

Emerging markets also showed strong performance, with trade volumes up 12.5 percent in Latin America, 6.8 percent in Africa, and 2.4 percent in the Middle East. Trade with Brazil surged 21.4 percent, while trade with Belt and Road Initiative countries increased 5.7 percent.

Zhejiang saw 117,000 companies engaged in foreign trade during this period, an increase of 7.9 percent year-over-year, exceeding last year's total. Private enterprises accounted for 108,000 of these, up 8.2 percent, with a combined trade volume of 3.89 trillion yuan, growing 7.6 percent.

Foreign-invested firms totaled 7,562, up 4.8 percent, contributing 602.97 billion yuan — or 12.5 percent — of the province's trade value.