The container vessel Cosco Kawasaki berths on the Dapukou Port in Jintang Port Area in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province on Sept 1, 2018, to ship some commodities made in China to Africa. [Photo/IC]

Foreign trade in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province hit a record high last year and ranked 1st in the province for annual growth, local media recently reported.

According to statistics from Zhoushan Customs, the city's imports and exports in 2018 totaled over 113.5 billion yuan ($16.89 billion), up 44.9 percent year on year. Its imports also ranked 1st in the province, at 71.07 billion yuan, up 78 percent year on year. 

Bulk commodities, including oil, gas, ore and airplanes, played a major part in driving the growth. 

China (Zhejiang) Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ), located in the city, exported nearly 13 million metric tons of bonded mixed ore worth $890 million, up 60.6 percent and 50.2 percent over a year earlier. The volume took up 17.3 percent of the total mixed ore exports across China, ranking second nationwide. 

"The growth of bonded mixed ore exports can be attributed to the launch of mixed ore businesses by local authorities to build the zone into an international ore transferring base," said Mao Yunbo, a manager assistant of a local port company.  

Oil exports from Zhoushan rose from 20 percent to 40 percent of the city's total exports, a rise driven by a series of favorable measures such as oil market opening-up and port services facilitation that led to a remarkable increase in the city's bunker fuel supply.

Statistics show that Zhoushan's bunker fuel supply saw a year-on-year increase of 96.5 percent last year, or 3.59 million tons.