WUHAN — Central China's Hubei province saw a 31.9-percent year-on-year growth in foreign trade in the first three quarters of 2021, according to Wuhan Customs.

Hubei's import and export value totaled approximately 384 billion yuan (about $59.6 billion) during the period.

The figure contributed by the province's private sector reached 224.5 billion yuan, up 37.9 percent year-on-year, accounting for 58.5 percent of the province's total.

From January to September, the province's trade with its major trading partners, namely the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United States and the European Union, reached 52.1 billion yuan, 51.6 billion yuan and 50.4 billion yuan respectively.

Trade between Hubei and countries along the Belt and Road continued to increase, reaching 99.6 billion yuan, up 43.4 percent. The province's trade with emerging markets of Latin America and Africa increased by 71.1 percent and 56.4 percent respectively.