South China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region logged strong growth in foreign trade in the first half (H1) of 2023, according to local authorities.

The region's total imports and exports from January to June hit 339.07 billion yuan (about 47.44 billion U.S. dollars), up 43.2 percent year on year, according to the customs of Nanning, capital of the region.

Exports rose 51.7 percent year on year to 169.04 billion yuan, and imports grew 35.6 percent to 170.03 billion yuan.

Trade between Guangxi and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, its largest trading partner, amounted to 161.38 billion yuan, a whopping 92.6 percent growth year on year, accounting for 47.6 percent of Guangxi's total import and export value during the period.

In the H1 of the year, the exports of mechanical and electrical products increased by 51.8 percent to 99.24 billion yuan. Its labor-intensive products, such as textile and clothing, and plastic products, fared exceptionally well overseas, recording a 117.7 percent growth in export value.