According to Taiyuan Customs statistics, North China's Shanxi province's total foreign trade amounted to 117.24 billion yuan ($10.24 billion) in the first eight months of this year, marking a 12.2 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

Exports accounted for 71.82 billion yuan, up 11.5 percent, while imports reached 45.42 billion yuan, showing a 13.3 percent growth.

From January to August, general trade imports and exports in the province totaled 58.59 billion yuan, showing an 11.8 percent increase, with key commodities including ferroalloys, metal ores, and steel. Processing trade imports and exports reached 56.14 billion yuan, growing by 8.5 percent, primarily focusing on mobile phones and integrated circuit processing.

During the same period, foreign-invested enterprises in the province conducted imports and exports worth 45.53 billion yuan, up 8.2 percent and accounting for 38.8 percent of the province's total foreign trade value.

Private enterprises' imports and exports stood at 37.67 billion yuan, growing 8.7 percent and accounting for 32.1 percent of the province's total foreign trade value. State-owned enterprises recorded imports and exports of 33.96 billion yuan, marking a 22.5 percent increase and constituting 29 percent of the total.

Shanxi's top five trading partners included the United States, ASEAN, the European Union, and Australia, collectively representing 57 percent of the province's total foreign trade value.

Imports and exports with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative reached 54.31 billion yuan, up 21 percent and accounting for 46.3 percent of the total; trade with other RCEP member countries totaled 36.85 billion yuan, growing by 10.8 percent and representing 31.4 percent of the total.