NANJING, April 20 -- Jiangsu Province, a manufacturing hub in east China, reported a foreign trade volume of 1.3 trillion yuan (about 179.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of 2024, up 9.1 percent year on year, local customs said Saturday.

Exports soared to 829.12 billion yuan, registering a 7.5 percent increase over the same period last year, while imports totaled 467.99 billion yuan, up 12 percent.

Private businesses continued to be a big contributor to Jiangsu's foreign trade, registering an import and export volume of 598.82 billion yuan in the first three months, up 20.7 percent year on year and accounting for 46.2 percent of the province's total foreign trade.

Mechanical and electrical products are the main export items of Jiangsu. In the first quarter, the exports of mechanical and electrical goods registered 569.93 billion yuan, an increase of 8.9 percent year on year.