NINGBO customs statistics show that the city achieved a trade value of US$6.1 billion in the first month of this year, a robust increase of 45.6 per cent over the same month in the preceding year, Logistics Week reported.

The growth was 1.2 percentage points higher than the national average and 19.5 percentage points higher than the provincial average.

Export value went 13.3 per cent up to US$3.7 billion. Import value rocketed 160.6 per cent to $2.4 billion.

The municipal government statistics office noted that the strong growth was a result of the dual effect of the downturn last year and the timing of the Chinese New Year holiday in January 2009 that made this year's growth look better. But comparing statistics before downturn, the trade value in January was still $420 million more than in the same month in 2008, showing that the market has recovered to pre-downturn level.