Guizhou province's imports boom in H1

Southwest China's Guizhou province reported an import boom in the first half, with the value of imports soaring 120 percent year-on-year to 7.37 billion yuan ($1.14 billion) – a growth rate of 60 percentage points higher than exports.

Helping to drive the surge was the increased quantity and prices of imported bulk commodities. Since the start of the year, prices have experienced sustained gains as global market demand rose in tandem with the improving economic picture.

During the six months, the price of Guizhou's imported iron ore jumped 89.5 percent year-on-year, while the price of imported sulphur was 1.2 times that of the previous corresponding period and imported rubber increased by 14.2 percent.

According to the customs office in the province's capital of Guiyang, the volume of imported bulk commodities in Guizhou totaled 2.54 million metric tons during the first half, a year-on-year increase of 128.7 percent.

The value of bulk commodities came in at 3.4 billion yuan, contributing 46.1 percent to the province's total imports.

Guizhou also maintained high-speed export growth during the first half of this year. It exported to 35 countries including Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Brazil, India and Vietnam.

During the last two years, guitars produced in Guizhou's Zheng'an county have proved to be a hit with the international market. They've been exported to 43 countries and regions and exports are expected to keep rising this year.