BEIJING -- Chinese exporting reversed its decline and rose 5.6 percent year-on-year in October to 1.14 trillion yuan ($185.4 billion), customs data showed on Friday.

The country's exports fell 0.3 percent in September from a year earlier, ending two consecutive months of rises, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Imports rose 7.6 percent last month from a year ago to 950 billion yuan($154.3 billion), accelerating from September's 7.4-percent rise, the figures showed.

This left the country with a trade surplus of 192.38 billion yuan in October, down 3.3 percent year-on- year.

In the first 10 months of 2013, exports and imports gained 7.6 percent from a year earlier, with the trade surplus growing 12 percent year-on-year to 1.25 trillion yuan.

Trade with the European Union, the nation's largest trade partner, climbed 0.5 percent year-on-year during the January-October period, compared with a 0.8-percent decrease registered in the first nine months of 2013.

Trade with the United States, China's second-largest trade partner, rose 6.9 percent in the first 10 months, while that with Association of Southeast Asian Nations members increased 10.9 percent.

Trade with Japan, however, declined 7 percent, according to the figures.