A container terminal in Anji County of Huzhou City, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 17, 2019. (Xinhua/Xu Yu)

East China's Zhejiang Province saw robust growth in its foreign trade with countries and regions along the Belt and Road in 2019, local authorities said.

The trade rose by 16.7 percent year on year to about 1.05 trillion yuan (around 152 billion U.S. dollars) last year, according to Hangzhou Customs.

Both Zhejiang's exports and imports with BRI countries maintained a double-digit annual increase in 2019.

Two foreign customers discuss with a merchant at the International Trade Mart in Yiwu, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 3, 2019. (Xinhua/Tan Jin)

The city of Yiwu, a major small commodity hub in China, launched 528 China-Europe freight trains carrying over 42,286 standard containers last year, up 65 percent and 68.7 percent year on year, respectively.

Foreign business owners in Yiwu points to the Belt and Road Initiative as a major factor behind the rising trade volume.