TAIYUAN — North China's Shanxi province saw robust growth in foreign trade in the first three quarters of 2021, data from Taiyuan Customs showed.

The total import and export value hit 170.3 billion yuan (about $26.7 billion) from January to September, up 76.8 percent compared with the same period last year, according to the data.

Exports soared to 104.5 billion yuan, registering an 87.8-percent increase over the same period last year, while imports totaled 65.8 billion yuan, up 61.9 percent.

The province's private enterprises posted rapid growth in imports and exports during the period, with the figure growing 161.2 percent to 55.6 billion yuan.

The inland province's trade volume with countries and regions along the Belt and Road hit 37.2 billion yuan in the first three quarters, accounting for 21.9 percent of the province's total foreign trade.