TIANJIN — North China's Tianjin municipality this year saw its January-February foreign trade reach its highest level since 2015, according to local customs.

Its total import and export value hit 120.33 billion yuan (about $18.47 billion) in the first two months, the highest figure in the last six years and up 21.1 percent year-on-year, data from Tianjin Customs shows.

Exports soared to 52.05 billion yuan, registering a 45.7 percent increase over the same period last year, while imports totaled 68.28 billion yuan, a rise of 7.3 percent.

The city's trade volumes with its major trade partners the European Union, the United States and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations saw growth of 23.4 percent, 65 percent and 15 percent, respectively, in the first two months of 2021, and its trade volume with countries in the Belt and Road Initiative increased 10.7 percent.