Foreign trade up in China's central, western regions

View of Chengdu High-Tech Comprehensive Bonded Zone, which saw a 23 percent surge in trade to $14.9 billion in the first half of this year [Photo provide to China Daily]

Central and western provinces in China saw a relatively high increase in imports and exports despite the decline in country's foreign trade in the first half of this year.

Total trade volume of the 18 provinces in the regions reached 1,600 billion yuan ($259 billion), a year-on-year increase of 17.5 percent, according to the country's General Administration of Customs.

Foreign trade in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, for instance, maintained rapid growth during the period as Chengdu High-Tech Comprehensive Bonded Zone registered huge trade volume driven by its high-end manufacturing, logistics, R&D and maintenance.

Official statistics show trade via the zone surged 23 percent to hit $14.9 billion in the first half of this year, topping the central and western regions and ranking the second in the entire country.

The zone, established in 2010 to boost Chengdu's foreign trade, houses a number of multinational companies, such as Intel, Foxconn, Dell, and Texas Instruments, which are also industry leaders. Their increasing investment in the zone has been a strong impetus to drive its foreign trade.