NANJING, Sept. 24 -- East China's economic powerhouse Jiangsu Province recorded a total import and export volume of 3.36 trillion yuan (about 460.9 billion U.S. dollars) from January to August, the customs of the capital city of Nanjing said Sunday.

This figure, including exports amounting to 2.16 trillion yuan and imports of 1.2 trillion yuan, accounted for 12.4 percent of China's total import and export volume during the same period.

Imports and exports of Jiangsu's private enterprises have continued to grow this year. During the first eight months of 2023, the import and export volume of private enterprises reached 1.47 trillion yuan, an increase of 3.3 percent compared to the same period last year.

During this period, Jiangsu's trade with the Middle East and Africa amounted to 158.62 billion yuan and 100.42 billion yuan, with year-on-year growth of 14.2 percent and 4.8 percent, respectively.

From January to August, Jiangsu's exports of electric passenger vehicles, lithium batteries, and solar panels totaled 137.52 billion yuan, and exports of mobile phones reached 86.28 billion yuan. These figures represented year-on-year growth of 20.4 percent and 22.6 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, the value of the province's imported agricultural products grew to 118.33 billion yuan, marking a year-on-year increase of 11.9 percent. Among these imports, soybeans accounted for 67.21 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 16.7 percent.