The import and export trade value of Zhanjiang in the first four months of this year reached 11.5 billion yuan ($1.7 billion), a year-on-year increase of 18.4 percent, according to statistics released by Zhanjiang Customs on May 15.

The exports value stood at 6 billion yuan and imports value at 5.5 billion yuan, up by 20.2 percent and 16.5 percent respectively compared with the same period last year.

Over the four months, imports and exports from private enterprises in Zhanjiang totaled 5.52 billion yuan, climbing by 19.8 percent, while the imports and exports value from state-owned enterprises and foreign enterprises increased by 19 percent and 13.8 percent respectively to 3.4 billion yuan and 2.56 billion yuan.

The European Union is the largest market for Zhanjiang's exports, with the total exports value reaching nearly 1.1 billion yuan from January to April, increasing by a whopping 92 percent.

Zhanjiang's exports value to ASEAN countries reached 1.05 billion yuan in the first four months of 2019, an increase of 30.1 percent year-on-year.

The city's main imported products came from Brazil, Australia, and India, with the imports value from these countries reaching 1.92 billion yuan, 1.38 billion yuan and 0.46 billion yuan respectively.

According to Zhanjiang Customs, it will conscientiously implement several measures to improve the efficiency of customs clearance. It will also work hard to help local traditional enterprises to carry out product structure adjustment and processing technology upgrades, guiding them in making good use of preferential policies and actively tapping global emerging markets.