South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region saw its foreign trade volume reach approximately 445 billion yuan (about 69.2 billion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of 2021, up 29.3 percent year on year, according to local customs.

The region's exports increased 17.2 percent year on year to about 220 billion yuan while imports climbed 43.8 percent to near 225 billion yuan during the period, according to customs authorities in Nanning, the regional capital.

Guangxi's imports and exports with ASEAN countries grew 28.4 percent to over 213 billion yuan. Its border trade reached approximately 115.5 billion yuan, up 18.2 percent during the period.

Notably, the region's private sector contributed more than 275 billion yuan to foreign trade, up 21.7 percent, accounting for over 60 percent of the region's total.