China's Hubei sees foreign trade surge in Jan-Nov

WUHAN -- Central China's Hubei province, once hard hit by COVID-19, saw 10.1 percent growth in foreign trade in the first 11 months of this year, local authorities have said.

The total value of imports and exports hit 391.6 billion yuan (about $60 billion) over the period, up 10.1 percent year-on-year, according to customs in the provincial capital of Wuhan.

Exports posted 244.56 billion yuan, up 10 percent from the same period last year, while imports added up to 147.07 billion yuan, up 10.4 percent.

Hubei's imports from and exports to major trading partners achieved robust growth in the first 11 months. The European Union was Hubei's largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching 53.9 billion yuan, up 18.6 percent year-on-year.

From January to November, Hubei's exports of labor-intensive and agricultural products experienced strong growth, while the growth of imports was boosted by semiconductor manufacturing equipment and integrated circuits.

Building on its effective containment of COVID-19, China has rigorously rolled out a string of measures to stabilize foreign trade and investment.