LHASA — The foreign trade of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region surged 124.1 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2021, led by booming trade by private companies, according to the local customs.

The region's imports and exports totaled 2.61 billion yuan (about $409 million) in the period, Lhasa customs said in a statement.

The exports rose 90.5 percent to 1.39 billion yuan, while imports soared 180 percent to 1.22 billion yuan.

In the first nine months, private enterprises took the lion's share with a total trade volume of 1.59 billion yuan, while State-owned companies saw imports and exports totaling 990 million yuan.

The region conducted trade with 59 countries and regions worldwide in the period. Nepal became Tibet's largest trading partner, with the trade value up 120 percent to 1.13 billion yuan, official data showed.