China's export and import of new- and high-tech products amounted to 232.5 billion U.S. dollars, or 29 percent of the nation's total foreign trade, in the first five months of this year, according to latest data provided by the Ministry of Commerce.

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The trade volume was 20.2 percent higher than the same period of last year, ministry sources said.

The exports amounted to 125.8 billion U.S. dollars, up 24.3 percent year-on-year, and the imports, 106.7 billion U.S. dollars, up 15.8 percent.

The exports made up 28.4 percent of China's total export volume for the five-month period, while the imports accounted for 29.8 percent of the nation's total import volume.

In a related development, China's foreign trade in machinery and electronics increased by 21.7 percent year-on-year to 438.2 billion U.S. dollars in the first five months, or 54.7 percent of the country's total external trade volume for the period.

Machinery and electronics exports stood at 254 billion U.S. dollars, up 27.5 percent, and imports at 184.2 billion U.S. dollars, up 14.6 percent.

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