The total value of imports and exports of Northwest China's Shaanxi province rose 0.4 percent year on year to 86.26 billion yuan ($12.18 billion) in the first quarter of 2020, according to statistics released by Xi'an customs.

During the period, imports and exports of countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative came in at 15.29 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 38 percent, accounting for 17.7 percent of the province's total.

Imports and exports to South Korea generated 21.63 billion yuan, surging 47.4 percent and accounting for 25.1 percent of the province's total.

While imports and exports to the ASEAN group of countries increased 73.8 percent year on year to 10.8 billion yuan, imports and exports to Japan reported growth of 74.6 percent to 6.06 billion yuan.

Officials said that in the face of the unfavorable factors, including reduced air, sea and land transportation during the novel coronavirus pneumonia epidemic prevention and control period, Shaanxi province nonetheless actively ensured normal and stable operations of the China-Europe Chang'an freight train, making it an efficient international logistics channel.

According to statistics, in the first quarter of 2020, the freight train made a total of 656 trips from Xi'an to Russia, Germany, Belarus, Belgium, Poland, Hungary, and Kazakhstan, 2.3 times that of the same period last year.