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A US customer looks for products at the China Textile and Apparel Trade Show. [Photo/VCG]

Shaoxing in East China's Zhejiang province performed well in foreign trade despite disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, local media reported on Dec 10.

"The foreign trade growth surged from minus 7 percent in the first quarter to 13.9 percent in the third quarter," said a spokesperson for the municipal commerce bureau.

Statistics from the bureau reveals that as of Dec 10, the city's exports and imports in 2020 were valued at over 200 billion yuan ($30.58 billion) and the number of foreign trade companies has exceeded 1,000.

On Nov 25, Shaoxing exported Kyrgyzstan-bound textiles valued at $130,000 from China Textile City, marking the first successful operation of the so-called "market procurement trade" mechanism.

This model offers quick customs clearance, convenience, and value-added tax exemptions and allows eligible business operators to buy goods with a single declaration value of up to $150,000 in market cluster areas recognized by commerce authorities and other agencies and undergo export clearance procedures at the point of purchase.

The new model is good news for cross-border e-commerce, according to Wu Jianhua, vice general manager of Zhejiang Jinchan Fabric Limited. He estimated that this year cross-border e-commerce will generate a trade volume of about $40 million which is 60 percent of their total sales.

From January to September, cross-border e-commerce generated exports worth 1.26 billion yuan, up 51.5 percent year on year. The growth speed is the third fastest among cities in Zhejiang.