Fujian’s trade with the European Union (EU) saw a steady pickup in the first half of this year. Data from Xiamen Customs shows that in the first half, Fujian’s trade volume to the EU reached 75.76 billion yuan ($12.2 billion), an 11.4 percent year-on-year increase. In February, Fujian’s trade volume to the EU dropped to 8.1 billion yuan, a record low in two years. Thereafter, trade volume gradually recovered. And in June, trade volume reached 14.6 billion yuan, a 23 percent year-on-year increase.

Xiamen has played a significant role in Fujian’s trade with the EU. In the first half of 2014, Xiamen’s import and export trade value toward the EU reached 37.6 billion yuan, a 7.8 percent year-on-year increase. In addition, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands were Fujian’s three largest trading partners.