URUMQI, March 19 -- The foreign trade of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region surged by 51.4 percent year on year in the first two months of this year, local authorities said.

The region's total imports and exports reached 63.69 billion yuan (about 8.97 billion U.S. dollars) during this period, according to the Urumqi Customs.

In the January-February period, the region engaged in trade with 186 countries and regions worldwide. Its trade with five Central Asian countries amounted to 43.74 billion yuan, accounting for 68.7 percent of the total.

Private enterprises in Xinjiang showed a strong performance in foreign trade during the period. Their trade value soared 48.1 percent year on year to reach 59.81 billion yuan, accounting for 93.9 percent of the region's total.

Notably, export value of products including electric vehicles, lithium batteries and photovoltaic products grew 110.2 percent year on year from January to February. Among them, electric cars became a new growth driver in the region's foreign trade, with its export value surging by 87.1 percent year on year.