Exports from south China's Guangdong Province hit a monthly record of US$39.1 billion in September, bucking the global downturn, local customs sources said on Wednesday.

The previous record was US$37.1 billion in July for the province, Guangzhou Customs said.

The export volume, which was 28.7 percent of the country's total, was 14.8 percent up from the same month last year.

Guangdong's foreign trade hit US$65.7 billion in September, breaking the previous record of US$60.8 billion in November last year.

Electric appliances, electronic products and machinery accounted for 70 percent of exports, up 18.6 percent in the first nine months over the same period last year.

However, the province saw a drop in textiles and clothes exports for the eighth consecutive month. In the first three quarters, the province exported US$24.5 billion of textiles and clothes, down 22.6 percent from the same period last year.

China's gross domestic product grew 9.9 percent in the first three quarters, 2.3 percentage points lower than the same period last year.

(Xinhua News Agency October 23, 2008)