BEIJING, March 11 -- It is estimated that China's foreign trade will basically maintain the upward momentum in the first half of 2024, Yu Jianhua, head of the General Administration of Customs (GAC), said Monday.

According to the latest customs statistics, since the beginning of this year, China's imports and exports have continued to improve, Yu said on the sidelines of the annual session of the national legislature which concluded on Monday.

In the first two months of 2024, China saw its imports and exports reach 6.6 trillion yuan (about 930 billion U.S. dollars), a historical high for the same period, he said.

The growth rate of China's trade with Belt and Road partner countries is higher than the average level. Cross-border e-commerce, market procurement and other new foreign trade models have seen strong momentum, according to Yu.