This aerial photo taken on Sept 12, 2023 shows a view of the container terminal of Haikou Port in Haikou, South China's Hainan province. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's foreign trade fell 0.2 percent year-on-year to 30.8 trillion yuan ($4.13 trillion) in the first three quarters of 2023, according to the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Friday.

In the meantime, the country's exports grew by 0.6 percent year-on-year to 17.6 trillion yuan, while imports declined 1.2 percent from a year earlier to 13.2 trillion yuan.

China's total exports and imports increased steadily and registered the highest monthly figure for this year in September. Foreign trade reached 3.47 trillion yuan last month, registering positive month-on-month growth for two consecutive months and the highest monthly figure for this year, said Lyu Daliang, the administration's spokesman.

China's trade with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative rose 3.1 percent year-on-year to 14.32 trillion yuan between January and September, accounting for 46.5 percent of its total foreign trade value during the nine-month period, according to the GAC data.