NANNING — South China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region said its GDP grew by 6.8 percent year-on-year in 2018, citing preliminary estimates.

Its GDP growth target this year was set at about 7 percent, said Chen Wu, chairman of the autonomous regional government, on Jan 26 while delivering the regional government work report at the opening meeting of the annual session of the regional People’s Congress.

The mountainous region of Guangxi has the largest ethnic minority population in China.

In recent years, Guangxi has been reshaping its image from an economic backwater to a booming border trade hub, drawing strength from its proximity to Southeast Asia.