The foreign trade volume of south China's Guangdong Province totaled US$300.83 billion in the past three quarters and made up 29.4 percent of the country's total, up 18.6 percent year-on-year, according to the provincial customs statistics.

Exports reached 165.56 billion US dollars, up 24 percent. Imports amounted to US$135.27 billion, up 12.6 percent. Trade surplus topped US$30.29 billion, or 44.3 percent of the country's total.

Exports of general trade maintained a fast growth rate and reached US$37.94 billion, up 42.2 percent, higher than the province's average growth rate of 24 percent.

The exports of mechanical and electrical products stood at US$112.22 billion and their imports reached US$79.59 billion, up 25.7 and 15.9 percent respectively.

Imports of agricultural products, automobiles and crude oil decreased by 20.7 percent, 11.6 percent and 24.1 percent respectively.

According to customs forecasts, the province's foreign trade will reach US$410 billion and exports will amount to US$225 billion by the year's end.

Hong Kong, the United States, the EU, Japan and ASEAN are the biggest five trading partners of the province.

(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2005)