Qidong currently rides a wave of growth in its foreign trade, according to the latest statistics. [Photo/WeChat account: qdrmt0513]

The county-level city of Qidong – administered by Nantong, in East China's Jiangsu province –generated 23.2 billion yuan ($3.62 billion) in imports and exports in the first eight months this year.

That represented an increase of 83.8 percent over the previous year and was 55.7 percentage points higher than the average growth for Nantong itself in the same period, rating it No 1 in the regions under the jurisdiction of Nantong, according to Qidong's commerce bureau.

In August alone, the import-export value of Qidong reached 2.92 billion yuan, up 73 percent year-on- year. Of that, exports were worth 2.35 billion yuan, up 101.4 percent and imports hit 572 million yuan, up 9.5 percent year on year.

The growth of imports and exports were respectively 38 percentage points and 71.5 percentage points higher than Nantong's average growth, both ranking first among Nantong's regions.

Qidong has rolled out a series of policies to support the development of its foreign trade this year. Under them, subsidies can be granted to enterprises for participating in both on-site and online exhibitions, registering trademarks and applying for patents overseas, as well as in various other matters.