The Maritime Silk Road Trade Index, between China and countries along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, posted stronger growth in April compared to March.

File photo of Antwerp Port

The overall import and export index climbed 1.36 percent month on month to 124.21 in April this year, but declined 4.81 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the Ningbo Shipping Exchange in east China's Zhejiang Province.

The April sub-index for export rose 8.16 percent from March to 138.85, up 3.5 percent from a year earlier, while that for import reached 109.31, down 13.77 percent year on year.

Sub-indexes for containerized cargo and bulk cargo both reported month-on-month growth in April.

According to an analysis, China's trade with major regions along the 21st Maritime Silk Road improved by varying degrees in April after a decline earlier this year.

The monthly index was officially launched in May 2017 to track the trade development between China and the major countries participating in the Maritime Silk Road cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.