HEFEI, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Total import and export value of goods in east China's Anhui Province grew by 8.6 percent year on year to 189.08 billion yuan (about 26.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of 2024, hitting a record high, official data showed Wednesday.

From January to March, the province's exports grew by 9.8 percent year on year to 126.06 billion yuan, while imports rose by 6.4 percent to 63.02 billion yuan, according to Hefei Customs.

During this period, Anhui's trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative reached 95.41 billion yuan, marking a 7.7 percent increase and accounting for 50.5 percent of its total trade value. Trade with the European Union and the United States accounted for a combined share of 24.2 percent of the total.

In terms of export items, electric manned vehicles, lithium-ion batteries and liquid crystal displays saw significant growth, reaching 1.73 billion yuan, 3.17 billion yuan and 2.4 billion yuan, respectively, representing respective year-on-year surges of 70.3 percent, 9.8 percent and 46.4 percent.