Service trade in China continued to record rapid growth between January and May this year, with value rising 16% year-on-year, with notable growth seen in travel services, according to the Ministry of Commerce on Thursday.

Over the five months, the total value of service imports and exports hit 3.02 trillion Yuan ($415.6 billion).

Exports reached around 1.22 trillion Yuan, an increase of 11%, whilst imports totalled 1.8 trillion Yuan, indicating growth of 19.6%. This led to a service trade deficit of around 580 billion Yuan.

Travel services imports and exports rose 48.4% between January and May to total 819.72 billion Yuan, the largest sector in service trade, Shine News reports.

In addition, the knowledge-intensive service trade continued to grow, with imports and exports up 6% to 1.19 trillion Yuan.

Within this sector, exports of knowledge-intensive services amounted to 675.31 billion Yuan, a 2.8% rise. 

Furthermore, there was significant growth in intellectual property rights fees and personal cultural and entertainment services, with increases of 17.8% and 15.5%, respectively.

Meanwhile, imports of knowledge-intensive services reached 514.58 billion Yuan, increasing by 10.4%. The fastest growth was recorded in personal cultural and entertainment services, which grew by 49.4%, and other business services, which saw a 17.2% rise.

As China continues to relax its entry policies, an increasing number of foreign travellers can now visit the country more conveniently.

Between January and May, over 12 million foreigners entered China, with more than 7 million of them entering without needing a visa, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry announced on Thursday.