TIANJIN - A ceremony was held Monday in North China's Tianjin municipality for the export of 60 second-hand commercial vehicles, marking the first batch of used commercial vehicles exported from China.

Having completed customs clearance in Tianjin, the vehicles, with a total value of over $700,000, were set to be exported from the Dongjiang Free Trade Port Zone in Tianjin to the Port of Apapa in Nigeria.

The second-hand automobile export business is conducive to accelerating the circulation of used automobiles, stimulating the domestic auto market vitality, and deepening economic and trade exchanges with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, according to the Tianjin Commission of Commerce.

The Dongjiang port will be built into the largest used vehicle export base in north China, according to Shen Lei, director of the management committee of the Dongjiang Free Trade Port Zone.

China began piloting the second-hand automobile exporting business in May, with Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangdong among the first batch of pilot regions.