Foreign trade of China's Hebei up 4.8 pct in first three quarters

North China's Hebei Province saw its foreign trade grow by 4.8 percent year on year to 310.95 billion yuan (about 46.27 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of 2020, customs statistics showed.

The growth was mainly contributed by the import sector, which grew 10.4 percent year on year to 134.23 billion yuan, according to the Shijiazhuang customs in the provincial capital.

The export value stood at 176.72 billion yuan from January to September, up 0.9 percent year on year.

Iron ore, crude oil and soybeans were among the major items that contributed to the import volume growth, which went up 14 percent, 22.7 percent and 65.6 percent, respectively, to 94.11 million tonnes, 3.59 million tonnes and 5.58 million tonnes, during the period.

Hebei Province, China's leading producer of iron and steel, is a major consumer of iron ore.