BEIJING - China's exports rose 9.9 percent year on year to $186.35 billion in September, official data showed Saturday.

The export volume hit a record monthly high and the growth was higher than the 2.7 percent year on year increase posted in August, according to figures from the General Administration of Customs (GAC).

Imports ended three months of consecutive drops in September, up 2.4 percent from a year earlier to $158.68 billion.

Trade surplus rose slightly to $27.67 billion from $26.66 billion in August, the GAC said.

The country's total foreign trade went up 6.3 percent year on year to $345.03 billion in September and expanded 6.2 percent year on year to $2.84 trillion in the first nine months.

In the January-September period, exports grew 7.4 percent from a year earlier to $1.5 trillion while imports gained 4.8 percent to $1.35 trillion, bringing the trade surplus to $148.31 billion.

During that period, trade with the European Union, China's largest trade partner, fell 2.7 percent year on year to $410.99 billion, the figures showed.

Trade with the United States, the country's second largest trade partner, increased 9.1 percent to $355.42 billion.

Meanwhile, China's trade with Japan dipped 1.8 percent to $248.76 billion, faster than the 1.4 percent decline recorded in the first eight months.