NANJING — Jiangsu province in East China saw robust foreign trade growth in the first five months of 2021, according to local customs.

Total import and export value of Jiangsu, one of the country's major foreign trade hubs, hit over 1.96 trillion yuan (about $304 billion) in the January-May period, up 20.8 percent year-on-year, according to data by Nanjing Customs.

Exports soared to over 1.21 trillion yuan, marking a 23.4 percent increase from the same period last year, while imports reached nearly 749 billion yuan, up 16.7 percent year-on-year.

The province's trade volume with the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, and the United States increased 22.3 percent, 27.1 percent and 22.4 percent, respectively, in the first five months of 2021.