ZHENGZHOU — Central China's Henan province reported robust foreign trade growth in the first 10 months of 2021, according to local customs.

Henan's total imports and exports hit 624.16 billion yuan (about $97.42 billion) during the January-October period, up by 35.4 percent year-on-year, data from Zhengzhou Customs showed.

Exports over the 10-month period hit 380.29 billion yuan, up by 36.7 percent, while imports reached 243.87 billion yuan, up by 33.2 percent. The two growth rates were 14.2 percentage points and 11.4 percentage points higher than the country's average levels, respectively.

The trade figure has outstripped the total of 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, the customs said.

Private businesses continued to be the biggest contributor to the trade growth in Henan, with 88 percent year-on-year growth.

The United States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the European Union remained the top three trading partners of the inland province.

The province's trade with the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) member countries reached 171.51 billion yuan, up by 29 percent. Trade with participating countries of the Belt and Road Initiative amounted to 138.26 billion yuan, up by 18.6 percent.