Beijing (Xinhua) -- China’s total imports and exports expanded 22.2 percent year on year to 31.67 trillion yuan (4.89 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first 10 months of 2021, official data showed Sunday.

The figure marked an increase of 23.4 percent from the pre-epidemic level in 2019, according to the General Administration of Customs.

Both exports and imports continued double-digit growth in the first 10 months of the year, surging 22.5 percent and 21.8 percent from a year earlier, respectively.

In October alone, the country’s imports and exports rose 17.8 percent year on year, but 5.6 percent slower than September, the data showed.