BEIJING -- Over 2.71 million certificates of origin were issued by Chinese authorities during the first seven months of the year, involving $233.31 billion, up 23.7 percent year-on-year, official data showed on Monday.

This shows that China has maintained a steady foreign trade momentum, Sun Xiao, spokesperson for the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade, told a press conference.

Certificates of origin are documents widely used in international trade transactions. They state that the products listed have met sufficient criteria to be considered as originating in a particular country. The issuance of these certificates is widely regarded as a barometer of foreign trade.

Some 70,200 certificates of origin were issued by Chinese authorities under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership free trade agreement for over 15,000 enterprises, involving a total of $3.432 billion, Sun said.