Trade volume between south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) reached 525 million US dollars in the first half of 2005, according to latest local customs statistics released on Wednesday.

The volume, a 28.3-percent rise over the same period of last year, made up 21.7 percent of Guangxi's foreign trade volume in the first six months of the year, said sources with the customs of Nanning, capital of Guangxi.

Guangxi imported 166 million US dollars of goods from the ASEAN countries from January to June, down 4.5 percent as against the same period of last year, while its export volume reached 359 million US dollars, a surge of 52.5 percent year-on-year.

Guangxi's main exports to the ASEAN countries include automobiles, rolled steels, costumes, fruits and herbal medicines and it mainly imported rubber, coal, palm oil and other products from ASEAN.

ASEAN, comprising Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and the Philippines, is Guangxi's largest trade partner while Guangxi is a major land and water gateway for ASEAN nations to China.

Guangxi, the permanent venue for the China-ASEAN Expo, is bracing for the opening of the second fair of the trade event in mid-October to allure more investment.

Source: Xinhua