HOHHOT, May 15 -- Import and export trade value via Erenhot Port in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region hit a new record since 2003, with a total value of 12.98 billion yuan (about 1.86 billion U.S. dollars) from January to April, up 105.3 percent year on year.

The Erenhot Port is the largest land port between China and Mongolia.

In the first four months of this year, imports of the land port totaled 7.89 billion yuan, up 107.4 percent year on year, while exports reached 5.09 billion yuan, up 102.2 percent year on year, according to the local customs authorities.

Among the commodities, trade of copper ore, coal, paper pulp and iron ore showed an upward trend during this period.

The local customs authorities said it has been making efforts to streamline customs clearance procedures.

In another development, the number of China-Europe freight trains handled by the port also increased. A total of 1,009 inbound and outbound China-Europe freight trains, loading 115,900 twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers with a total weight of 1.06 million tonnes of cargo and valuing 2.28 billion U.S. dollars, were handled from January to April, up 7.8 percent, 19.14 percent, 21.01 percent and 14.91 percent year on year, respectively.