Trade between China and Mongolia continued to boom in 2017, and exports and imports in two major border crossing in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region registered new highs, local authorities said on Tuesday.

Erenhot, the biggest railway crossing between the two countries, saw its railway trade volume with Mongolia rise 16 percent year-on-year to 11.2 million tonnes in 2017.

Last year, a record 570 trains on the China-Europe rail route passed through Erenhot.

Increased demand from China for iron ore drove booming exports from countries along the Belt and Road, through the cross-border rail network, customs officials said in Hohhot, the capital of the Inner-Mongolian Autonomy.

Another border crossing, Ganqimaodu in Bayan Nuur City, also witnessed fast cross-border trade growth last year.

Trade via Ganqimaodu soared by 26.2 percent year-on-year to 17 million tonnes in 2017, mainly driven by increased imports of coal and copper concentrate from Mongolia.