According to the latest statistics provided Monday by the General Administration of Customs, China collected 209.3 billion yuan (US$25.5 billion) in tariff revenues and import duties during the period, up 1.23 percent over the same period last year.

The figure is about 9.33 billion yuan (US$1.1 billion) more than the target set earlier this year by Customs.

A spokesperson for the Customs authorities said local departments across the country have stepped up their efforts to collect the tariffs and duties and crack down on price fraud, which helped avert consecutive monthly drops in revenue during the first seven months of this year.

China collected a total of 26.3 billion yuan (US$3.2 billion) in tariff revenues and import duties during September, a record monthly high.

(Xinhua News Agency November 5, 2002)