Yichang’s foreign trade volume in the first four months of the year hit 16.44 billion yuan, up 42.9% from the same period last year, exceeding the provincial average by 32.3 percentage points, according to official data from the Yichang Customs on May 24. Exports account for 13.48 billion yuan, up 30.1%. Imports are responsible for 2.96 billion yuan, a 159.8% surge. In April, Yichang’s foreign trade volume soared to 5.26 billion yuan, a dramatic rise of 98%. Exports are 4.28 billion yuan, up 83%; imports, 980 million yuan, up 209.6%. (Reporter/Shen Yuan, Correspondent/Liu Lingqiao)