China's Hubei reports foreign trade increase in Jan-Nov

WUHAN, Dec. 16 (Xinhua) -- Central China's Hubei Province reported robust foreign trade growth in the first 11 months of 2021, local customs authorities have said.

Hubei's total import and export value hit 486.2 billion yuan (about 76.4 billion U.S. dollars) in the January-November period, up 26 percent from the same period last year, data from Wuhan Customs shows.

The provincial capital Wuhan saw its foreign trade reach 305.2 billion yuan during the period, up 26.5 percent year on year.

In the first 11 months, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United States and the European Union were the top three trading partners of the inland province.

Hubei's trade with Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries reached 145.2 billion yuan, up 20.8 percent. Trade with countries and regions along the Belt and Road amounted to 127.9 billion yuan, up 34.5 percent.

Private businesses continued to be the biggest contributor to trade growth in Hubei from January to November, accounting for 59.7 percent of the province's total foreign trade.