Containers stockpiled at Ningbo Zhoushan Port in East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn]

Ningbo's imports and exports were valued at 295.86 billion yuan ($42.95 billion) in the first quarter of this year, slightly less than the same period last year, according to official statistics from Ningbo Customs.

Specifically, its exports totaled 191.39 billion yuan, while its import volume amounted to 104.47 billion yuan.

The city's foreign trade volume contracted in January and February from a year earlier before recovering in March during which its imports and exports registered a yearly uptick of 9.8 percent to 109.24 billion yuan.

The city's top three trading partners during the three-month period were the European Union, the United States, and ASEAN. Its trade with these economies was valued at 53.01 billion yuan, 46.59 billion yuan, and 35.45 billion yuan respectively.

In addition, the city's trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative rose 13.7 percent to 97.83 billion yuan, making up 33.1 percent of its total.

During this period, Ningbo's trade volume with Central and Eastern European countries hit 12.69 billion yuan, soaring by 22 percent year-on-year.

Exports of mechanical and electrical products amounted to 110.39 billion yuan, edging down 1.9 percent and accounting for 57.7 percent of the city's total exports.

Significant growth was seen in exports of new energy products in the first quarter, during which Ningbo exported 4.35 billion yuan worth of solar cells, 3.28 billion yuan worth of electric cars, and 1.97 billion yuan worth of lithium ion batteries respectively, up 14.5 percent, 115.7 percent and 57.6 percent.

Meanwhile, the city's imports of agricultural products and vehicles over the three-month period hit 7.38 billion yuan and 2.67 billion yuan respectively, rising by 24.8 percent and 150 percent.