GUANGZHOU -- The southern Chinese city of Dongguan, the country's manufacturing hub, saw robust growth in its foreign trade with countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative last year, local authorities said.

The trade volume rose by 16.5 percent year on year to over 278 billion yuan (over $40 billion), according to Huangpu Customs in Guangdong province.

The city's total trade volume reached 1.24 trillion yuan in the first 11 months of 2019, an annual increase of 0.8 percent, accounting for 4.4 percent of China's total foreign trade, and 19.4 percent of Guangdong's total during the same period.

Dongguan further optimized its trade structure, with mechanical and electrical products as its main exports last year.