China's foreign trade up 6% in first 8 months

China's total goods imports and exports expanded 6 percent year on year in the first eight months of this year, official data showed on Tuesday.

The country's exports rose 6.9 percent year on year in the January-August period while imports climbed 4.7 percent, according to the General Administration of Customs.

ASEAN continues to be the country's largest trading partner. Imports and exports to ASEAN countries were 4.5 trillion yuan (.2 billion), an increase of 10 percent, accounting for 15.7 percent of China's total import and export value in the same period. The European Union and the United States were China's second and third-largest trading partners, respectively.

At the same time, China's imports and exports to Belt and Road countries reached 13.48 trillion yuan, up 7 percent, in the first eight months.

Imports and exports of private and foreign-funded enterprises also increased. The imports and exports of private enterprises amounted to 15.74 trillion yuan from January to August, a growth of 10.5 percent year on year. Meanwhile, imports and exports of foreign-invested enterprises reached 8.4 trillion yuan, rising by 1.5 percent year on year.

The country's trade surplus expanded by 11.2 percent year on year to 8.49 billion during the eight-month period.