Ningbo Customs announced that it handled 57.19 million declarations for cross-border e-commerce imports in the first half of this year, representing a yearly uptick of 15.5 percent.

The figure accounted for 25.7 percent of the total numbuer in that aspect in China over the six-month period. 

The total value of bonded imports via cross-border e-commerce in the city surged 37.7 percent to 12.29 billion yuan ($1.78 billion), making up 26.5 percent of the national total. 

Cosmetics and skin care products, food and health products, and infant formula were among the most popular commodities over this period. 

Cross-border e-commerce bonded imports from Ningbo sold to Hubei province declined 12.1 percent in the first half due to the COVID-19 outbreak, while all other provinces reported positive growth.

Daily necessities were urgently needed in the initial stages of the epidemic. In February alone, 51.23 million yuan in epidemic prevention supplies were imported through cross-border e-commerce platforms at Ningbo ports, an 11.4-fold increase year-on-year. The imports of infant formula amounted to 160 million yuan, more than double the previous year. 

The number of import declarations for cross-border imports in the city amounted to 11.833 million amid the "6.18" online shopping festival, with a combined value of 2.856 billion yuan, representing year-on-year increases of 10.1 percent and 38.5 percent respectively.

A cross-border e-commerce retail import development pattern has formed in Ningbo. The city is home to the Ningbo Bonded Area, the Cixi Export Processing Area, the Lishe Bonded Logistics Center, and the Meishan Bonded Area.

The value of cross-border e-commerce imports in the Ningbo Bonded Area soared 43.9 percent year-on-year to 10.12 billion yuan in the first half of this year, accounting for 81.52 percent of the city's total.