ASEAN remained Guangdong"s largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching 1.02 trillion yuan, up 14.2 percent year-on-year. Trade with South Korea grew 44.3 percent, while trade with Africa rose 19.8 percent, India 16.5 percent and Australia 33.2 percent, according to customs data.

　　The rapid growth in Guangdong"s trade with a wider range of markets reflected the increasing diversification of its trading partners, said Hu, noting that "as trade protectionism and barriers rise in the world, a more diversified market presence can help reduce external risks and strengthen the resilience and growth potential of Guangdong"s and China"s foreign trade."