Beijing, Oct 22 (IANS): Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality saw its foreign trade increase by 11.4 per cent year on year to nearly 461.4 billion yuan (around 69.4 billion US dollars) in the first three quarters of this year, customs data showed.

Chongqing's exports reached 291 billion yuan during the period, a year-on-year increase of 10.3 per cent, while imports achieved annual growth of 13.3 per cent to about 170.4 billion yuan, according to Chongqing customs.

In September alone, Chongqing's foreign trade exceeded 63 billion yuan, up 18.9 per cent year on year, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Association of southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remains Chongqing's largest trading partner. In the first three quarters, the city's trade with ASEAN reached 83.59 billion yuan, up 6 per cent year on year, accounting for 18.1 per cent of Chongqing's total.

Private enterprises enjoyed strong performance in foreign trade, with their imports and exports totaling 167.11 billion yuan, an annual increase of 27.2 per cent. The volume accounted for 36.2 per cent of Chongqing's total foreign trade in the same period.

In terms of exports, electronic and information products maintained a strong increase over the period, while imports of integrated circuit and consumer goods, such as fruits and medicines, posted strong growth.