Staff members shift packages at the Hunchun Comprehensive Bonded Zone Cross-border E-commerce Supervision Center. [Photo/Jilin news network]

In the first half of 2021, the total value of imports and exports in China's Northeast Jilin province hit 79.1 billion yuan ($12.25 billion), a year-on-year increase of 30.2 percent that set a record.

The growth rate was 3.1 percentage points higher than that of the national average, ranking it first in Northeast China.

Exports in the period came in at 16.87 billion yuan, up 21.5 percent, while imports were worth 62.23 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 32.8 percent.

The performance was reportedly achieved in the wake of efforts made in improving the business environment, strengthening enterprise follow-up services, accelerating the development of new trade formats and new models, as well as optimizing regulatory procedures.

In the first half, Jilin's automobile manufacturing, agricultural products processing and other industries closely adapted to changes in global trade and actively expanded into international markets.

Preferential policies issued by provincial government departments reportedly continued to provide assistance for the development of the foreign trade sector.

Recently, a batch of department store shoes and hats worth more than 2.6 million yuan were sent to Yekaterinburg, Russia's third largest city, via the Hunchun Comprehensive Bonded Zone Cross-border E-commerce Supervision Center.

This marked the third shipment of Hunchun cross-border e-commerce products to Russia within a week. It is understood that the quarantine, inspection and transportation process only took 20 days.

In addition to fast customs clearances, Jilin is actively promoting the launch of various products on well-known domestic cross-border e-commerce platforms.

It is also helping to boost cooperation between cross-border commodity supply chains, international logistics chains, third-party service providers and financial institutions – to provide enterprises with comprehensive foreign trade services throughout the commercial process.