The city of Shijiazhuang's commerce bureau reports imports and exports worth $6.58 billion in the first half of this year, with exports accounting for $3.26 billion, a decrease of 9.8 percent from the same last year period, and imports, $3.3 billion, for an increase of 17 percent. The city had 44 enterprises with exports above $10 million.

Exports of the CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, Hebei Chengxin Co, Shijiazhuang Hongray Group, and North China Pharmaceutical (Group) Corp surpassed $100 million.

The structure of the city’s exports changed in the first half, with new high-tech products accounting for a larger proportion. Statistics shoe new high-tech exports worth just over $170 million, an increase of 10.1 percent from the same last year period, and agricultural goods worth $111.99 million, for a just over 10-percent increase. Pharmaceuticals were worth $368.61 million, but were down 5.6 percent.

New high-tech imports were worth $134.62 million.

Shijiazhuang’s exports to major foreign markets, with the exception of Russia, decreased in the first half. Its top five markets are the European Union, the United States, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Russia and India, but new markets are also growing, including Mongolia, Zimbabwe, Kyrghyzstan, and Yemen.

Imports from Australia amounted to about $1.7 billion, an increase of 23.9 percent over the same period of last year, while imports from is the US stood at $212.42 million, an increase of 92.2 percent.