SHIJIAZHUANG, Dec. 26 -- The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region saw its foreign trade increase by 13.6 percent year on year to about 4.58 trillion yuan (around 655.9 billion U.S. dollars) in the first 11 months of 2022, Shijiazhuang Customs said.

The region's foreign trade accounted for 11.9 percent of the country's total in this period. Its exports amounted to 1.18 trillion yuan, an increase of 0.3 percent, and its imports reached about 3.4 trillion yuan, an increase of 19.1 percent.

From January to November, the region's trade with countries along the Belt and Road saw remarkable growth -- up 24.7 percent compared to 2021 to reach over 1.8 trillion yuan.

In terms of export commodities, the export of mechanical and electrical products totaled 577.11 billion yuan, playing a pillar role. It accounted for 48.9 percent of the total export value, an increase of 5 percent.

In terms of imported goods, crude oil imports led the growth rate, with the imports reaching nearly 1.25 trillion yuan, up 50.3 percent, which was the main factor driving up the growth of import value.

China initiated the strategy of coordinating the development of the national capital of Beijing and that of neighboring Tianjin Municipality and Hebei Province in early 2014, in order to create a model with a better economic structure, cleaner environment, and improved public services.