Exports from Ninghai county in Ningbo posted an annual growth of 25 percent in 2019, said an official at the Ningbo municipal bureau of commerce.

In the first 11 months of 2019, the county's export volume rose 28.2 percent year on year to 25.2 billion yuan ($3.76 billion), faster than any other county in Ningbo.

Notably, the county's trade with the US saw an increase of 6.4 percent despite China-US trade frictions.

The US is Ninghai's largest export destination, with nearly 500 local companies exporting to the country.

To help companies sustain export growth, local authorities rolled out a series of measures including optimizing government services, encouraging enterprises to increase investment in research and development, and implementing mechanisms to ease financing difficulties.

Ningbo Sike Jiete Import & Export Trade Co Ltd is a garden machinery export company in Ninghai which exports 99 percent of its products to the US.

The company exported $8.918 million worth of garden machinery to the US in the first 11 months of last year, up from $3 million in 2018.

Guo Zhen, the company's manager, attributed the sharp growth to the company's efforts in R&D and supply chain management, as well as a series of cost-reducing measures.

She said that despite the tariff increase, the company's involvement in projects from the conceptual design stage makes it less likely to be replaced.

Qicin Machinery Co Ltd, another export company based in Ninghai, has stepped up investment in machine replacement, automation equipment and production systems. Last year, a newly developed hybrid car transmission accessory made it an irreplaceable supplier to US customers.

The company's exports to the US soared 148.36 percent from January and October last year.

In the first 11 months of last year, Ninghai's exports of mechanical and electrical products and high-tech products were 19.728 billion yuan and 9.267 billion yuan, up 34.7 percent and 109.3 percent, respectively.