(Photo/Chinanews.com)

Foreign trade through China’s private enterprises totaled 12.1 trillion yuan in 2018, growing 12.9 percent year on year.

The figure accounted for 39.7 percent of the country’s total trade volume, up 1.1 percent from the previous year, said Li Kuiwen, spokesperson of China’s General Administration of Customs, at a news conference held by the State Council Information Office on Jan. 14.

In 2018, China’s private enterprises contributed over 50 percent of the country’s foreign trade growth.

The foreign trade growth of private enterprises in central, western and northeastern China respectively stood at 20.3, 18.9, and 16.7 percent last year, outpacing the eastern region, which secured a growth of 12.1 percent.

Mechanical and electrical products accounted for over 40 percent of the private sector’s total export and import, Li noted.