The city of Xi'an – capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi province – saw its foreign trade grow 6.2 percent to 218.47 billion yuan ($32.27 billion) in the first half of this year, compared with the previous corresponding period, according to Xi'an Customs.

Of that, total exports hit 135.01 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 31.9 percent, while imports came in at 83.46 billion yuan, down 19.3 percent.

Notably, Xi'an's general trade accounted for 29.8 percent of its foreign trade during the period, at 65.12 billion yuan. The city's processing trade reached 128.04 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 17.5 percent, while its bonded logistics trade was worth 19.83 billion yuan, down 28.5 percent.

During the period, the city's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative totaled 40.75 billion yuan, 29 percent up on last year.

To top it off, Xi'an's trade with the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations increased by 12.6 percent and 37.6 percent, respectively.

During the half, the city enjoyed strong growth in exports of mechanical and electronics products, with imports of bulk commodities also jumping.