(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-01-30 16:07

Tibet Autonomous region's foreign trade totaled $393 million in 2007, a 19.81 percent rise from the previous year, local customs sources said.

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It was the sixth consecutive year this southwest China plateau region had posted a double-digit increase in foreign trade.

Breaking it down, exports accounted for $326 million, up 46.87 percent, while imports plunged 36.8 percent to $67 million, according to statistics from the customhouse in Lhasa, the regional capital.

Border trade totaled $249 million last year, contributing more than 60 percent of Tibet's foreign trade.

Commodities for Tibet exports included caterpillar fungus, wool and cashmere, garlic, wooden articles and wolfberry fruits.

Tibet maintained trade ties with 55 countries and regions last year, 13 more than in 2006.

Nepal remained its largest trading partner, followed by Japan, China's Hong Kong, the United States and Russia.