China's Sichuan reports record-high foreign trade volume in 2020

CHENGDU -- China's Sichuan province saw a record-high foreign trade volume of about 808. 2 billion yuan ($124.9 billion) in 2020, registering a 19-percent growth year-on-year, according to a report by the customs of the provincial capital Chengdu.

Of the total volumes, exports reached over 465.4 billion yuan, up 19.2 percent year-on-year, and imports hit around 342.8 billion yuan, up 18.8 percent.

According to Pan Xudong with the customs, the robust growth in export was mainly driven by the rising global demand for electronic products as working from home became a trend during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The report shows exports of laptops and tablet computers from Sichuan increased 29 percent and 49 percent, respectively, in 2020.

Meanwhile, the domestic market's demand for organic chemicals and plastics contributed to the growth of imports in the province.

The province's trade with countries and regions along the Belt and Road continued to grow in 2020, increasing 24 percent year on year to around 245.5 billion yuan.

Pan said that the figures show strong resilience and risk resistance of the development of Sichuan's foreign trade over the past year, with cross-border e-commerce, market purchase trade and other new forms of trade thriving in the inland province.