China's imports and exports totalled 16.04 trillion yuan ($2.4 trillion) between January and May this year, growing by 8.3 percent year on year (YoY), according to the general administration of customs, which recently said exports grew by 11.4 percent on a yearly basis to 8.94 trillion yuan, while imports increased by 4.7 percent from last year to 7.1 trillion yuan.

The nation's trade value with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the European Union (EU), the United States and South Korea were respectively worth 2.37 trillion yuan, 2.2 trillion yuan, 2 trillion yuan and 970.71 billion yuan, increasing by 8.1 percent, 7 percent, 10.1 percent and 8.2 percent respectively.

ASEAN members remain the largest trading partner for China, accounting for 14.8 percent of the nation's total foreign trade, according to official Chinese media.