Shanxi's foreign trade value reached 40.72 billion yuan ($6.37 billion) in the first four months of 2018, an increase of 12.2 percent year on year, ranking 23th in China for its volume, according to Taiyuan Customs.

Individually, exports amounted to 22.59 billion yuan, up by 2.8 percent and imports to 18.13 billion yuan, up by 26.5 percent.

Taiyuan contributed most with import-export volume reaching 32.44 billion yuan, accounting for 79.7 percent of the provincial total. The first four months also saw growth in foreign trade in Lyuliang, Datong, Linfen and Jincheng cities, grow 46.1 percent, 28.8 percent, 25.6 percent, and 12 percent.

As for trade to different regions, Shanxi increased imports and exports to the United States and countries involved in the Belt and Road, with the value of foreign trade to those areas up by 9.9 percent and 2.9 percent year-on-year. The import-export value to the European Union, South Korea and ASEAN decreased between January and April.