A contestant participates in the joinery competition during the Belt And Road International Skills Competition held in Chongqing International Expo Center in Chongqing, Southwest China, May 29, 2019. [Photo by Wang Quanchao/Xinhua]

Southwest China's Chongqing municipality saw its foreign trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) grow 31.2 percent year on year to 129.47 billion yuan ($18.5 billion) in the January-October period.

Chongqing's total trade volume reached 469.11 billion yuan in the first 10 months, up 10.8 percent year on year, according to the city's customs authority.

Its exports increased 10.8 percent to 300.34 billion yuan, while its imports grew 10.9 percent to 168.77 billion yuan in the same period, said Chongqing customs.

Trade with Belt and Road countries accounted for 27.6 percent of the total amount, 4.3 percentage points higher than that of the same period last year.

Exports to Belt and Road countries increased by 21 percent to 69.94 billion yuan, while imports rose 45.6 percent to 59.53 billion yuan.