Zhangjiagang's foreign trade saw steady growth in the first seven months of the year, with its total value increasing 2 percent to 137.22 billion yuan ($19.8 billion), according to Zhangjiagang customs.

Exports reached 66.83 billion yuan, up 4.3 percent, while imports remained the same as last year at 70.39 billion yuan during the period.

In the first seven months, the growth rate of the city's foreign trade was higher than the average in Suzhou. Imports and exports of private enterprises reached 75 billion yuan, up 1.1 percent, accounting for 55.7 percent of the city’s total foreign trade value.

During the same period, imports and exports of state-owned enterprises reached 21.39 billion yuan, up 15.1 percent. The exports of textile and textile products increased steadily to 15.32 billion yuan and 11.07 billion yuan respectively.

Australia was the city's largest trading partner over the period, while?ASEAN ranked second, and the United States and Brazil were third and fourth.

Imports and exports to the EU (European Union) and Japan showed strong increases of 9.2 percent and 20.8 percent respectively.

Zhangjiagang port at night. [Photo/IC]