Foreign trade in northwest China's Qinghai Province saw a record year-on-year rise of 62.2 percent in the first ten months this year, reaching a trade volume of 415.5 million US dollars.

Statistics from local customs showed that the province has achieved an export volume of 336.7 million US dollars this year, with an import volume of 78.7 million dollars. This has greatly boosted the province's economic development, which is economically less-developed in comparison with provinces in eastern coastal regions.

Statistics showed that the processing industry still served as a major contributor to the foreign trade increase in the province.

Qinghai Province had 132 trade partners in 2003, 69 more than the previous year. Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), the United States and Australia take the top places.

Known as the birthplace of three of Asia's rivers, Qinghai Province is situated on the northeastern part of the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau. Lying on highlands averaging 3,000 m above sea-level, the province sprawls over an area of more than 720,000 sq km -- bigger in size than France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Holland and Denmark combined.