Hubei's imports and exports reached 353.98 billion yuan in the first seven months of this year, up 1.4 percent year on year, local customs said on Wednesday.

Of the total, exports posted 242.78 billion yuan, ascending by 3 percent from the same period last year.

From January to July, Hubei’s imports and exports of general trade amounted to 273.72 billion yuan with a growth rate of 4.2 percent, accounting for 77.3 percent of the province's total foreign trade volume.

Hubei's foreign trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the European Union (EU) stood at 58.61 billion yuan and 45.73 billion yuan, respectively.

In particular, its trade with countries along the Belt and Road totaled 123.61 billion yuan during the period.

Private enterprises witnessed strong performance with the import and export volume hitting 238.58 billion yuan over the period, taking up a 67.4-percent share of the province’s foreign trade, while the imports and exports of state-owned enterprises and foreign-invested enterprises reached 63.47 billion yuan and  51.72 billion yuan, respectively.

Exports of mechanical and electrical products soared to 119.22 billion yuan, contributing approximately 50 percent to the province’s total.

Among them, exports of automobiles, electrical appliances and auto parts posted 10.36 billion yuan, 8.27 billion yuan and 6.66 billion yuan, skyrocketing by 102.8 percent, 26.3 percent and 22.7 percent, respectively. (en.hubei.gov.cn by Zhang Yawei）