CHENGDU, July 16 (Xinhua) -- The foreign trade volume of southwest China's Sichuan Province rose 21.9 percent year on year to 303.3 billion yuan (44.13 billion U.S. dollars) in the first half of this year, local customs authorities said Tuesday.

According to Chengdu customs, Sichuan's trade with the European Union rose 44.6 percent to 53.94 billion yuan, accounting for 17.8 percent of its total. Its trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations rose 23.5 percent to 58.83 billion yuan.

The province's trade with countries along the Belt and Road reached 81.9 billion yuan, an increase of 13.1 percent year on year, accounting for 27 percent of its total.

Sichuan imported 2.85 billion yuan worth of agricultural products in the first half of this year, up 49.5 percent year on year. The province exported 139.86 billion yuan worth of mechanical and electrical products, up 27.1 percent, accounting for 82.5 percent of its export volume.