China's imports from countries along the Belt and Road reached 717.7 billion yuan (about 104.1 billion US dollars) in the first quarter of 2017, a year-on-year increase of 42.9 percent, and the amount accounted for about 25 percent of the country's total imports during the same period, according to the Ministry of Commerce.
Sun Jiwen, spokesperson of the ministry, said at a press conference on Thursday that the size of trade in goods between China and Belt and Road countries kept expanding during the first quarter of the year, with a total value of approximately 1.66 trillion yuan (about 240.1 billion US dollars), growing 26.2 percent year on year.
In the meantime, China exported 937.6 billion yuan (about 136 billion US dollars) of goods to those countries, rising 15.8 percent and accounting for 28.2 percent of China's total exports in the first quarter.
A golden "Silk Road Bridge" is placed in front of the National Convention Center in Beijing on April 26, 2017, ahead of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation slated for May 14-15, 2017. /VCG Photo
China made direct non-financial investments of 2.95 billion US dollars in 43 countries along the Belt and Road, which accounted for 14.4 percent of its total direct non-financial investments overseas.
As China improves the environment for foreign investors, Belt and Road countries set up 781 new enterprises in China, a growth of 40 percent compared with the same period last year, and the actual investment amounted to 8.45 billion yuan (about 1.23 billion US dollars).
In addition, China and Belt and Road countries signed outsourcing contracts with a total value of 26.12 billion yuan (about 3.79 billion US dollars), as economic and trade cooperation between them deepens.
Products "made in China," projects "built by China" and services "provided by China" were gaining popularity in those countries, Sun said in Beijing.
Goods imported from Europe through China-Europe freight trains are seen in Zhengzhou, central China's Henan Province on November 18, 2016. /VCG Photo
He added that the Ministry of Commerce will hold a parallel session during the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in the Chinese capital next month. More than 100 foreign guests have confirmed their participation in the session, which will focus on the theme of promoting smooth trade cooperation between Belt and Road countries.
The Belt and Road Initiative, including plans for jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road, was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013 and aims at enhancing regional connectivity and promoting win-win cooperation.
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