The first 15 days of February saw the country's export turnover record a slight increase of 2.5% to US$9.94 billion against the same period from last year.

During the reviewed period, there were four groups of products which posted an export turnover of at least US$1 billion, including phones and accessories, computers, telephones and components, machinery, equipment and spare parts, along with garments and textiles.

Throughout the reviewed period, the country exported US$38.46 billion worth of goods, representing a sharp increase of approximately 36.9% compared to last year’s corresponding period, equivalent to a rise of over US$10 billion.

Furthermore, the country spent US$9.24 billion on imports in the first half of February, a decrease of US$9.24 billion, equivalent to about US$500 million.

Key import staples which recorded billions of US$ during the reviewed period include computers, mobile phones and spare parts, machinery, equipment, along with tools and spare parts.

Most notably, the country has imported US$35.7 billion worth of goods since the beginning of the year, representing an increase of nearly 25.3%, equivalent to more than US$7 billion compared to last year’s corresponding period.