SHIJIAZHUANG, Aug. 25 -- The Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region saw its foreign trade increase by 2.9 percent year on year to about 2.86 trillion yuan (about 397.9 billion U.S. dollars) in the first seven months of this year, according to Shijiazhuang Customs.

The region's foreign trade accounted for 12.1 percent of the country's total in the period.

From January to July, the region's imports reached 2.1 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 1.6 percent, while its exports amounted to nearly 754.09 billion yuan, up 6.7 percent year on year.

The region's imports and exports to the European Union (EU), the United States, Australia, and Brazil increased in the first seven months of the year, up by 2.1 percent, 0.6 percent, 12 percent, and 34.9 percent, respectively.

During the period, mechanical and electrical products accounted for over half of the region's total export value. Meanwhile, the export of automobiles reached 29.09 billion yuan, up by 115.7 percent year on year.

In terms of imported commodities, crude oil imports stood at the first place in the first seven months of the year, while high-tech products imports grew rapidly during the period.