HARBIN -- The foreign trade of Heilongjiang, China's northernmost province, bounced back last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic, local customs authority said Saturday.

Heilongjiang saw its foreign trade in goods grow by 29.6 percent year-on-year to 199.5 billion yuan ($31.4 billion) in 2021, according to the Harbin Customs in the provincial capital.

The rise signifies a stable recovery of the province's imports and exports, which dropped 17.7 percent year-on-year in 2020.

Last year, Heilongjiang's imports saw a 31.2-percent increase to 154.7 billion yuan, while its exports grew by 24.4 percent to reach nearly 44.8 billion yuan.

Notably, the border province's trade with Russia hit 131.3 billion yuan, up 34.8 percent, accounting for 65.8 percent of the province's total foreign trade. Trade with countries and regions along the Belt and Road reported a 31.7-percent increase.

The customs noted an increase in the exports of electrical and mechanical products and labor-intensive products, while imports of key commodities such as natural gas, timber and soybeans all registered robust growth. In particular, natural gas imports surged by 154.2 percent to reach 10.4 billion cubic meters in 2021.