Zhangjiagang, a city in East China's Jiangsu province, sees its imports rise 8.8 percent year-on-year in the first half of this year. [Photo/VCG]

The county-level city of Zhangjiagang in East China's Jiangsu province saw 110 billion yuan ($15.77 billion) in foreign trade in the first half, down 3.9 percent year-on-year, according to statistics released by Zhangjiagang customs. Exports dropped 17.5 percent to 45.69 billion yuan, while imports rose 8.8 percent to 64.46 billion yuan.

Customs officials said that the COVID-19 pandemic hit the city's foreign trade hard in the first quarter, and it has gradually returned to normal since April. Statistics show that in June, the city's foreign trade expanded 4.8 percent year-on-year to 21 billion yuan, rising 9 percent month-on-month.

Total foreign trade among private enterprises in Zhangjiagang rose 8.5 percent year-on-year to 69.54 billion yuan for the first six months, accounting for 63.1 percent of the city's total foreign trade. This suggests the private sector plays an important role in stabilizing foreign trade.

Customs officials said that the proportion of general trade imports and exports continued to grow in the city.

The total value of general trade imports and exports grew 2 percent year-on-year to 93.38 billion yuan in the first half, accounting for 84.8 percent of the city's total foreign trade, 4.9 percentage points higher than the same period last year.

Zhangjiagang's economic recovery is expected to gain momentum in the second half of the year, as the city has rolled out an array of favorable policies to boost social and economic development.