BEIJING, June 8 (Xinhua) -- As efforts to contain COVID-19 continue, China is steadily reviving its economy. The following facts and figures indicate how the country is forging ahead in the economic sphere:

-- China's exports rose by 1.4 percent year on year in yuan terms to 1.46 trillion yuan (about 205.74 billion U.S. dollars) in May, the General Administration of Customs said.

Imports fell by 12.7 percent to 1.01 trillion yuan last month, resulting in a trade surplus of 442.75 billion yuan.

During the January-May period, ASEAN remained China's largest trading partner with trade up by 4.2 percent year on year to 1.7 trillion yuan, accounting for 14.7 percent of China's total foreign trade.

-- China's foreign exchange reserves expanded to 3.101 trillion U.S. dollars at the end of May, from 3.091 trillion dollars at the end of April.

China's forex market operated steadily last month, with demand and supply basically balanced, said Wang Chunying, spokesperson for the State Administration of Foreign Exchange.

Despite a complex external economic environment amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Wang said China's economy is gradually being restored to normal and has resilience, potential and room to maneuver, providing solid foundations for the stability of forex reserves.

-- China's railway passenger trips and freight transport volume posted growth in May, which are signs of recovery from the COVID-19 shock amid continuous efforts to contain the epidemic.

A total of 157 million rail passenger trips were made last month. Average daily passenger trips hit 5.08 million, up 37.6 percent from the previous month, according to data from the China State Railway Group Co. Ltd.

Meanwhile, the country's state-operated railways carried 299 million tonnes of freight, an increase of 11.15 million tonnes from a year ago.