GUANGZHOU - The foreign trade volume of Guangdong province, South China's economic powerhouse, reached a record high of 4.37 trillion yuan (about $612.75 billion) in the first half of 2024, official data has shown.

The figure represents year-on-year growth of 13.8 percent, 7.7 percentage points higher than the national average, according to the Guangdong Sub-Administration of the General Administration of Customs of China.

Of the total, exports rose 12.1 percent year-on-year to 2.85 trillion yuan, and imports reached 1.52 trillion yuan, up 17.1 percent year-on-year

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Of the total, exports rose 12.1 percent year-on-year to 2.85 trillion yuan, and imports reached 1.52 trillion yuan, up 17.1 percent year-on-year.

In the first half, Guangdong's exports of mechanical and electrical products increased 9.9 percent, accounting for 64.4 percent of the province's total export value.

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In the same period, Guangdong's trade with Belt and Road Initiative partner countries totaled 1.64 trillion yuan, up 12 percent year-on-year.