According to Taiyuan Customs, the total value of foreign trade in North China's Shanxi province reached 159.58 billion yuan ($21.86 billion) in the first 11 months of this year, a 3.3-percent increase from the same period last year. Exports and imports grew by 2.5 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.

During this period, the province's general imports and exports reached 80.79 billion yuan, an 8-percent increase. This accounted for about half of the province's total foreign trade value, up 2.2 percentage points from the same period last year.

Imports and exports with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative amounted to 79.3 billion yuan, a 15.4-percent increase, representing 49.7 percent of the total. Trade with other RCEP member countries reached 49.41 billion yuan, a 4.5-percent increase, accounting for 31 percent.

The province's top four trading partners are the United States, ASEAN, the European Union, and Australia. Mobile phones were a major export to the US and EU, while ferroalloys and coal were also major imports from ASEAN. Iron ore was a major import from Australia, while mobile phones were a significant export.

Key imports included metal ore and sand, coal, soybeans, pulp, and cosmetics, significantly driving growth. Metal ore and sand imports reached 21.35 billion yuan, a more than 50 percent increase, boosting the province's import growth rate by 12.6 percentage points.

Exports were fueled by the "new three" products (new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, photovoltaic products), steel, electrical equipment, agricultural products, coal, and textiles. The "new three" products and steel exports amounted to 3.23 billion yuan and 8.96 billion yuan, respectively.