Skyscrapers border a lush green landscape in Shenzhen's central business district. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Guangdong's imports and exports with the United States and European Union saw a year-on-year increase of about 10 percent in the first three quarters this year, contributing to the overall foreign trade industrial development of the southern province.

According to statistics released by Guangdong Customs on Thursday, Guangdong's foreign trade with the US and EU witnessed a year-on-year growth of 9.3 percent and 9.8 percent respectively in the first nine months.

Meanwhile Guangdong's foreign trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which is the province's biggest trading partner, also grew year-on-year by 6.7 percent to reach 969.64 billion yuan ($140.53 billion) from January to September, Guangdong Customs said in a statement.

Also, Guangdong's import and export volume with Taiwan witnessed a year-on-year growth of 3.1 percent between January and September while the figure within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region saw a year-on-year reduction of 10.4 percent in during the period, said the statement.

The good foreign trade performance with major trade partners (Hong Kong as an exception) has helped Guangdong, the country's biggest foreign trader, reach a total foreign trade volume of more than 6.1 trillion yuan in the first nine months this year, up year-on-year 1.3 percent.

The province, a major production base in the world, sold 3.89 trillion yuan worth of goods abroad, up year-on-year 5.6 percent, after it purchased products valued at 2.21 trillion yuan from around the world, a year-on-year decline of 5.6 percent, in the nine months ending September, the statement said.

Guangdong mainly imported agricultural products, crude oil, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and related important living and production bulk commodities since the beginning of the year.

The province purchased 157.92 billion yuan worth of agricultural products in the first three quarters, a year-on-year increase of 11.5 percent, while its imports of crude oil was 25.71 billion yuan, up year-on-year 98.3 percent.

Guangdong's imports of mechanical and electrical products reached 1.44 trillion yuan in the first nine months, a year-on-year decline 7.9 percent, it said.