In the first quarter of the year, Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province, enjoyed robust growth in its foreign trade, according to the city's customs department.

The total value of imports and exports in the three months reached 89.14 billion yuan ($13.86 billion), surging 10.8 percent year-on-year, while accounting for 91.1 percent of the province's total foreign trade.

The city's exports soared 16.7 percent on a yearly basis to 44.17 billion yuan during the period, while imports increased 5.4 percent year-on-year to 44.97 billion yuan.

Over the period, Xi'an's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative experienced a slight decrease of 0.7 percent to 13.4 billion yuan.

Customs, however, reported strong growth in exports of mechanical and electrical products and autos.

Among imported goods, imports of mechanical and electrical products were worth 32.19 billion yuan, down 3.6 percent -- the rate of decline narrowing by 8.6 percentage points compared with the previous two months.