TASHKENT, July 1 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan's foreign trade turnover amounted to about 32.8 billion U.S. dollars in the first five months of this year, the National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan said on Wednesday.
According to official data, Uzbekistan's exports from January to May dropped by 15.5 percent year on year to 12.6 billion dollars. Meanwhile, its imports grew by 20.8 percent to reach 20.1 billion dollars, resulting in a trade deficit of 7.5 billion dollars.
The decline in overall export performance was primarily driven by a sharp 76.8 percent contraction in gold shipments. Non-gold exports, however, rose by 29.4 percent to hit 6.5 billion dollars.
China maintained its position as Uzbekistan's largest trading partner, accounting for 23.4 percent of the country's total foreign trade turnover. Russia and Kazakhstan also held key positions in the trade structure, accounting for 17.6 percent and 6.9 percent, respectively. ■