Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu province recorded a growth of 7.7 percent in import and export value in the first half of the year, trading goods worth 313 billion yuan ($45.5 billion). [Photo/IC]

Wuxi in East China's Jiangsu province recorded a growth of 7.7 percent in import and export value in the first half of the year, trading goods worth 313 billion yuan ($45.5 billion), Wuxi Daily reported on July 23.

The total value of imports reached 128.3 billion yuan, a year-on-year growth of 10.9 percent, well above the provincial average.

Large amounts of equipment and raw materials contributed to the import value due to the construction of Wuxi branches of Huahong Group, SK Hynix and AstraZeneca.

Shanghai Huahong Integrated Circuit Wuxi IC Base witnessed the arrival of its first batch of lithography machines for its 12-inch production line on June 6. The base is scheduled to be put into operation in September this year and is expected to become a new driver behind foreign trade.

Wuxi is working to optimize its foreign trade structure and promote trade of high-tech products. Wuxi Customs said the export value of solar cells, diodes and similar semiconductor devices, and integrated circuits recorded an increase of 96.3 percent, 50.2 percent and 19.3 percent respectively.