LHASA — The foreign trade of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region surged 125.07 percent year-on-year in the first eight months of 2021 thanks to rising demand from home and abroad, according to the local customs.

The imports and exports of the region totaled 2.36 billion yuan (about $365 million) in the period, Lhasa Customs said in a statement.

Exports of the region rose 64.76 percent to 1.17 billion yuan, while imports soared 252.12 percent to 1.19 billion yuan.

Production and consumption demand in Tibet has been strong due to effective epidemic control, while global trade demand has also picked up with the economic recovery.

The region saw the value of outbound foreign assistance supplies surging over 702 percent year-on-year in the first eight months, amid China's intensified efforts to support other countries with COVID-19 control, the data showed.