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Customs officers in Nantong inspect and sample imported barley on a ship. [Photo provided by Yang Yang to en.nantong.gov.cn]

The total foreign trade value of Nantong in Jiangsu province reached 199.85 billion yuan ($27.91 billion) in the first half of this year, up 15.7 percent from the previous year and maintaining its position as the top performer in the province, statistics from Nantong Customs showed.

In the first six months of this year, Nantong ranked fourth in the province in total foreign trade volume. Of this total, export accounted for 133.22 billion yuan, a 19.7 percent year-on-year increase, while imports accounted for 66.63 billion yuan, up by 8.5 percent from last year.

In June alone, Nantong's total import and export volume reached 34.31 billion yuan. Exports amounted to 23.33 billion yuan, a 21.4 percent year-on-year increase, while imports were at 10.98 billion yuan, up by 21.7 percent from previous year.

The shipbuilding and marine engineering industries in Nantong performed well in the first half of the year, driving significant growth in sales of parts, equipment, and instruments. The city's trade with ASEAN, the EU, and the Middle East saw substantial growth in the same period, collectively accounting for nearly half of the city's total foreign trade.

Huang Yue, an official from the Nantong municipal bureau of commerce, said, "In the first half of the year, we formulated policies to support overseas exhibitions and organized five 'Nantong Famous Brand Overseas Tours' exhibition events."

As a result, more than 800 local companies have participated in over 40 domestic and international exhibitions in the first half of the year, according to Huang.

She added that the bureau will focus on arranging for companies to participate in exhibitions, developing industrial parks, and cultivating new commercial activities to boost Nantong's foreign trade development.