China foreign trade up 7.8 pct in November

Aerial photo taken on Nov. 19, 2020 shows a view of the Qinzhou Port in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. (Xinhua/Zhang Ailin)

BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's foreign trade expanded 7.8 percent year on year in November, official data showed Monday.

Exports jumped 14.9 percent year on year while imports dipped 0.8 percent in yuan terms, the General Administration of Customs said.

In the first 11 months, China's foreign trade of goods totaled 29.04 trillion yuan (about 4.44 trillion U.S. dollars), up 1.8 percent year on year, accelerating from an increase of 1.1-percent in the first 10 months, the administration said in a statement.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations remained China's largest trading partner during the period, followed by the European Union and the United States.

Private companies played a significant role in propelling trade growth, with their foreign trade expanding by 11.3 percent in the first 11 months to account for 46.4 percent of the country's total.