NANJING -- East China's Jiangsu province, China's major export-oriented economic powerhouse, reported a year-on-year increase of 11 percent in foreign trade in April, which represents the first positive monthly growth this year.

The total value of imports and exports in the province reached 366.28 billion yuan (about $51.6 billion) in April, up 7.6 percent month on month, according to figures released by the Nanjing Customs Thursday.

Due to the impact of the novel coronavirus, Jiangsu's foreign trade value fell by 4.4 percent year-on-year to 1.27 trillion yuan in the first four months.

In April, Jiangsu's exports rebounded by 19.1 percent year-on-year and 10.4 percent month-on-month to reach 226.79 billion yuan. Meanwhile, its imports totaled 139.49 billion yuan, down 0.1 percent year-on-year and up 3.4 percent month-on-month.

Zhou Changqing, deputy director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Commerce, said the epidemic has decreased the overseas demand. Jiangsu's government and enterprises have worked together to explore markets and ensure supply in order to tide over the difficulties.

Jiangsu's foreign trade with the European Union (excluding Britain), the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan fell by 10 percent, 11.9 percent, 6.9 percent and 4 percent, respectively, to 186.99 billion yuan, 160.98 billion yuan, 144.27 billion yuan and 123.98 billion yuan in the first four months.