Strong start to the year for foreign trade

Beijing's foreign trade enjoyed a strong start to 2014, totaling US$39.85 billion in January 2014, up 16.1 percent from last year, according to the statistics released by the Municipal Customs House on Feb. 18.

The capital city raked in US$5.7 billion in exports, up 12.4 percent, and US$34.15 billion in imports, up 16.8 percent. The city's trade deficit rose by 17.7 percent year on year, reaching US$28.45 billion.

In January, Beijing's total foreign trade volume ranked fourth among 31 regions in the Chinese mainland. Its imports accounted for 19.5 percent of total imports, the highest among all regions.

Trade between Beijing and the European Union reached US$3.52 billion, up 8.6 percent year on year, and trade between the city and the United States totaled US$2.62 billion, down 3.2 percent.

From: www.china.org.cn