Ningbo, a port city located in East China's Zhejiang province, has increasingly solidified its position as a pivotal transportation hub that underpins the nation's trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Recent statistics from Ningbo Customs reveal that China's import and export volume with the BRI countries via Ningbo ports skyrocketed to a record high of 187.95 billion yuan ($26.11 billion) in the first two months of this year, representing a 17 percent year-on-year increase.

Breaking down the numbers, exports totaled 125.84 billion yuan, marking an uptick of 24 percent, while imports amounted to 62.11 billion yuan, a 5 percent rise compared to the corresponding period last year.

During the two-month period, crude oil emerged as the primary commodity imported from BRI countries through the Ningbo ports, while electromechanical products stood out as the main category of goods exported from Ningbo ports to these nations.

To be more specific, China imported crude oil valued at 23.89 billion yuan from BRI countries via Ningbo ports from January to February, constituting nearly 40 percent of the total imports from these nations at the ports.

Simultaneously, electromechanical products worth 64.6 billion yuan were exported to BRI countries during the same period, representing over half of the total exports from Ningbo ports to these countries.