(ECNS) -- China-EU import and export trade through ports in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region has grown rapidly, with the trade volume in the first 11 months this year reaching 261.82 billion yuan (about $41.1 billion ), up 30 percent year on year.
The export volume was 197.91 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 27.7 percent, and the import volume 63.91 billion yuan, up 37.6 percent year-on-year.
Three facts boosted the growth: the operation of China-Europe freight trains in Xinjiang, the import and export of mechanical and electrical products, and the export of China's clean energy-related equipment and products, according to Sun Tao, an official with Xinjiang' s Urumqi customs.
According to Xinjiang railway authorities, a total of 111,56 Chin-Europe freight trains have entered or left China via Xinjiang ports in the first 11 months in 2021, increasing 26.8 percent year on year. And the cargo volume reached 1,073 thousand tons, up 30.2 percent.
Mechanical and electrical products exported to EU via Xinjiang ports in the first 11 months this year reached 158.04 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 32.9 percent, and that imported from EU via Xinjiang ports rose 29.2 percent.
The export of primary plastics, electric manned cars and polysilicon has doubled, said Sun Tao.
In addition, the export of wind generating sets in the first 11 months via Xinjiang ports grew 219.2 percent, and the export of solar cells and lithium ion batteries rose 28.1 and 31.3 percent respectively.