HEFEI — East China's Anhui province saw its foreign trade grow by 26.9 percent year-on-year to 692.02 billion yuan (about $109 billion) in 2021, according to local customs authorities.

Of the total, Anhui's export volume hit nearly 409.5 billion yuan in 2021, up 29.5 percent year-on-year, while imports totaled about 282.5 billion yuan, up 23.4 percent, Xin Jianming, with the customs of Hefei, the provincial capital, told a press conference on Jan 14.

The province also witnessed the rapid development of the China-Europe freight trains during the period, with the number of trips surging by more than 17.6 percent year-on-year to 668 in 2021.

"We will further develop the pilot free trade zone and foster new momentum to promote the high-quality development of foreign trade in 2022," Xin said.