SHIJIAZHUANG, June 24 (Xinhua) -- The foreign trade value of north China's Hebei Province reached 210.51 billion yuan (about 31.5 billion U.S. dollars) in the first five months this year, down 0.2 percent year on year, according to the customs of Shijiazhuang, capital of the province.
Its exports reached 125.58 billion yuan during the period, up 6 percent, whereas, its imports recorded 84.93 billion yuan, down 8.1 percent.
In the first five months of 2022, Hebei's imports and exports to countries along the Belt and Road increased by 17 percent to 72.17 billion yuan. The province's total import and export volume with the ASEAN and the EU totaled 26.18 billion yuan and 22.96 billion yuan respectively, up 14.2 percent and 11.3 percent.
Over the period, Hebei's exports of mechanical and electrical products and high-tech products grew rapidly. Its export of mechanical and electrical products reached 48.09 billion yuan, an increase of 16.7 percent and the export of high-tech products reached 11.81 billion yuan, up 36.7 percent.
The province also saw a decrease in imports of iron ore and crude oil, while its imports of soybean and natural gas increased in the first five months of the year. ■
