This aerial photo taken on May 9, 2023 shows the container terminal at Lianyungang Port, east China's Jiangsu Province. (Photo by Geng Yuhe/Xinhua)

China's customs data showed Thursday that the country's total goods imports and exports expanded 2.1 percent year on year in yuan terms in the first half of 2023.

The country saw goods imports and exports exceeding 20 trillion yuan (about 2.8 trillion U.S. dollars) for the first time in the January-June period, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Exports grew 3.7 percent year on year to 11.46 trillion yuan while imports edged down 0.1 percent from a year earlier to 8.64 trillion yuan, the data showed.