East China’s Anhui province saw a 34.6 percent year-on-year increase in trade with countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) during the first three quarters of 2021, higher than the national average of 23.4 percent, according to customs data.

The province’s trade with the BRI market reached 127.91 billion yuan ($20.03 billion) between January and September. Its exports stood at 92.88 billion yuan, up 29 percent, and imports rose 52.2 percent to 35.03 billion yuan.

In September alone, the province’s trade with those countries and regions grew 29.5 percent to 15.64 billion yuan.

Private enterprises remained the major force behind Anhui’s foreign trade growth. Their trade with the BRI market reached 71.74 billion yuan in the first three quarters, accounting for 56.1 percent of the provincial total. The trade volume rose 30.8 percent from the same period a year ago.

Meanwhile, state-owned companies posted a 53.6 percent year-on-year increase to hit 31.77 billion yuan, or 24.8 percent of the total. Foreign-funded enterprises’ trade with the BRI countries and regions increased 25.4 percent to 24.37 billion yuan, or 19.1 percent of the total.