Guangdong Province registered 172.84 billion US dollars in foreign trade in the first eight months of the year, up 25.7 percent from the corresponding period last year (2002).

Guangdong Customs house figures show the foreign trade volume accounted for 33.1 percent of the national total.

From January to August, the province exported 91.66 billion US dollars worth of commodities, up 25.1 percent, and imported 81.18 billion US dollars worth of commodities, a rise of 26.4 percent.

The province recorded 24.11 billion US dollars worth of foreign trade in August alone, up 22.3 percent, including 12.99 billion US dollars in exports, up a record 22.6 percent.

Overseas financed companies, state-owned foreign trade companies and private companies were the three main players in Guangdong's exports. The main items on the export list were machinery and electronic products, high-tech products, garments, textile yarns, fabrics and related products, while imports included machinery and electronic products, high-tech products, and automobiles.

Editor: Catherine