CHANGSHA — Central China's Hunan province saw its trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative amount to 106.5 billion yuan (about $16.5 billion) in the first eight months of this year, surging 19.5 percent year-on-year, local customs said on Sept 10.

Hunan's total trade volume registered a 29.1 percent growth to reach 370.54 billion yuan during the period, according to the customs of Changsha, the provincial capital.

Customs data shows that the import and export volume of Hunan has maintained positive growth for 11 consecutive months.

From January to August, ASEAN remained the largest trading partner of Hunan, posting a trade volume of 57.95 billion yuan, up 20.1 percent year-on-year.

Private enterprises accounted for nearly 80 percent of the province's foreign trade during the period. Exports of mechanical and electrical products and imports of agricultural products reported significant growth.