The Taiyuan Customs office has reported 46.1 billion yuan ($7.36 billion) worth of imports and exports in Shanxi province, in the first half year, which shows a growth of 25.4 percent year-on-year, after taxes are taken into consideration. This puts it in sixth place in growth among all China’s provinces and cities, where the average growth is 16.7 percentage points less.

Exports account for 22.23 billion yuan ($3.55 billion), for a year-on-year growth of 52.3 percent, and a fifth-place spot in overall growth in China, and first, in the middle part of the country. Imports reached 23.87 billion yuan ($3.81 billion), with a growth of 52.3 percent, and twelfth place overall in the country. The trade deficit amounts to 1.64 billion yuan ($260 million), a decrease of 78.8 percent.

Edited by Zhou Yuanyuan and Roger Bradshaw