CHONGQING — The foreign trade of Southwest China's Chongqing municipality reached 116.17 billion yuan (about $17.86 billion) in the first two months of 2021, up 70.3 percent year-on-year, the local customs said on March 17.

In the January-February period, exports from Chongqing increased by 87.8 percent to 72.26 billion yuan, while imports grew 47.6 percent to 43.91 billion yuan, according to Chongqing customs.

The municipality's private enterprises enjoyed a strong performance, with their imports and exports standing at nearly 48.76 billion yuan, an annual increase of 110 percent, accounting for 42 percent of Chongqing's total foreign trade.

Chongqing's trade volume with countries along the Belt and Road reached 31.58 billion yuan in the period, up 52.6 percent year-on-year.