Heilongjiang Province in the northeastern China saw its trade with countries along the Belt and Road (B&R) at 35.83 billion yuan (about 5 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter, down 4 percent year on year, local customs said .

The province's trade volume with B&R countries accounted for 79.2 percent of its total in Q1, Harbin customs said. Exports with B&R countries reached 3.3 billion yuan, down 15.6 percent, and imports dropped 2.6 percent to 32.53 billion yuan during the period.

Heilongjiang's trade with Russia rose 3 percent to 31.65 billion yuan during the period, accounting for 88.3 percent of its trade with B&R countries.

Heilongjiang's major export commodity to B&R countries was mechanical and electrical products, with the export volume totaling 1.15 billion yuan in Q1. Its major import commodity was energy products such as crude oil.