NANNING - South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region reported a 15 percent rise in foreign trade last year, an impressive report against a downward national figure.

Export and import values totaled 319 billion yuan ($48.46 billion) in Guangxi in 2015, according to figures published by customs authorities in the regional capital Nanning on Saturday.

The figure breaks down into 174 billion yuan of exports and 145 billion yuan of imports, up 16 percent and 13.8 percent respectively year on year.

Trade with the ASEAN economies -- which are Guangxi's major trade partners -- totaled 180.3 billion yuan, making up 56.6 percent of its total trade volume and representing a surge of 19.6 percent from 2014.

Guangxi has fully exploited its geographical advantage and its cooperation with ASEAN members to deepen coordinated development and boost foreign trade, said Wang Yadong, deputy chief of the customs authorities in Nanning.

Wang said the region will further such cooperation and seek trade expansion in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, namely, the initiative of jointly building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

China's total export and import values decreased 7 percent year on year, falling for the first time in six years, according to data released by the General Administration of Customs.