BEIJING, June 7 (Xinhua) -- China's total imports and exports expanded 28.2 percent year on year to reach 14.76 trillion yuan (about 2.31 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first five months of 2021, official data showed Monday.

This marks an increase of 21.6 percent from the same period in 2019, the General Administration of Customs (GAC) said.

Exports jumped 30.1 percent from a year earlier while imports climbed 25.9 percent in yuan terms.

Exports and imports increased 23.6 percent and 19.2 percent, respectively, compared with the data registered in the first five months of 2019.

In the January-May period, the trade surplus increased 56.2 percent year on year to reach 1.32 trillion yuan.

In the first five months, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations remained China's largest trading partner, followed by the European Union and the United States, the GAC data showed.

During the period, the growth rates of China's trade value with the three trading partners stood at 29.2 percent, 28.7 percent and 41.3 percent, respectively.

China's trade with countries along the Belt and Road rose 27.4 percent year on year to reach 4.36 trillion yuan.

In May alone, the country's imports and exports rose 26.9 percent year on year to 3.14 trillion yuan. This represents a 20.8-percent increase compared with the same period in 2019.

The trade surplus last month narrowed 32.1 percent from a year earlier to 296 billion yuan.