The foreign trade volume of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region grew more than 10 percent year on year in the first half of 2016, local authorities said on Friday.
Statistics released by Urumqi Customs showed that Xinjiang's trade value reached 47.6 billion yuan (about 7.3 billion U.S. dollars) from January to June, up 10.1 percent year on year.
Exported goods, mainly textile products, shoes and mechanical parts, reached 41.2 billion yuan, up 11.6 percent from last year.
Imported goods, including mechanical equipment and farm produce, stood at 6.38 billion yuan, up 1.3 percent year on year.
The trade surplus amount was 13.5 percent more than the amount last year.
Kazakhstan remains Xinjiang's top trade partner.
In 2013, Xinjiang's H1 trade exceeded 10 billion dollars. However, due in part to low international energy prices, depreciation of Central Asian currencies and slower economic growth in Xinjiang, trade has slipped in the last three years.
The Central Government and Xinjiang regional government have boosted trade through expanding trade channels between Xinjiang and its trading partners, improving transportation and investing in trade information systems.
