Foreign trade rises in first three quarters in China's Hunan

CHANGSHA -- Foreign trade rose in the first three quarters of the year in Central China's Hunan province, customs data showed Wednesday.

Hunan's total value of imports and exports rose 6.9 percent year-on-year to nearly 336 billion yuan (about $50.5 billion) during the period, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) being the province's biggest trading partner, according to customs authorities in Changsha, the provincial capital.

Exports rose 0.5 percent year-on-year to about 222.6 billion yuan, while imports surged 22.4 percent to more than 113.3 billion yuan. The foreign trade volume with ASEAN stood at about 57.5 billion yuan, up 34.1 percent year-on-year.

Private enterprises enjoyed strong performance in foreign trade, with their imports and exports standing at 261.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 9.7 percent. The volume accounts for 77.9 percent of Hunan's total.