HARBIN - Heilongjiang province in the most northeastern part of China saw year-on-year growth of 24.3 percent in its import and export trade with countries along the Belt and Road in the first quarter, said local customs Friday.

Trade volume reached 37.2 billion yuan ($5.5 billion), accounting for 82.6 percent of Heilongjiang's total import and export volume in Q1, up 4.7 percent over the previous year.

The province's export volume in Q1 reached 3.79 billion yuan, up 13.9 percent, and 33.4 billion yuan in imports, up 25.6 percent.

Heilongjiang's top five trade partners of the 12 Belt and Road countries include Russia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE and India.