China's Hubei province sees foreign trade up 18.5% in first 10 months

WUHAN -- Central China's Hubei province saw its foreign trade reach 513.66 billion yuan ($71.43 billion) in the first 10 months of 2022, a year-on-year increase of 18.5 percent, according to local customs.

From January to October, the province's exports rose 25.6 percent year-on-year to 348.06 billion yuan, while imports increased 6 percent to 165.6 billion yuan, data from Wuhan Customs shows.

The foreign trade value contributed by the province's private sector reached 321.38 billion yuan, up 25.6 percent year-on-year, accounting for 62.6 percent of the province's total.

Hubei's trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), its largest trading partner, topped 79.38 billion yuan in the first 10 months of the year, up 36.1 percent year-on-year.

The province's trade with other members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership rose 20.8 percent year-on-year, while its trade with countries along the Belt and Road increased 36.7 percent during the period.