CHANGSHA — Central China's Hunan province saw its trade with countries along the Belt and Road increase by 19.8 percent from January to October, Changsha customs said on Nov 23.

The total volume of trade between Hunan and the countries along the Belt and Road reached 138.7 billion yuan (about $21.8 billion) during the period.

From January to October this year, Hunan's exports to the region reached about 107.5 billion yuan, up 17.3 percent, while imports totaled nearly 31.2 billion yuan, up 29 percent.

The three main trade partners in the region were Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, with the trade volume totaling 18 billion yuan, 15.6 billion yuan and 14.7 billion yuan, up 10.5 percent, 32.2 percent and 22 percent, respectively.

Customs statistics showed that the main exports from Hunan to the region included mechanical and electrical products, which reached 42.8 billion yuan, accounting for 39.8 percent of the total value of the province's exports to countries along the Belt and Road.

Imports of natural and synthetic rubber, as well as metal ore and ore sand from the region, increased 73.3 percent to 3.1 billion yuan and 25.3 percent to about 2.7 billion yuan, respectively.

During the same period, Hunan's imports and exports to India soared 85.1 percent to 12.7 billion yuan. The figure to Indonesia skyrocketed 90.7 percent to over 10 billion yuan.