The firm's net profit of Tw$18.68 billion ($624.6 million) was 68 percent higher than in the same quarter a year ago, while revenues surged 79 percent to Tw$135.82 billion, according to a company statement. During the quarter, HTC shipped a record 13.2 million handsets worldwide, up 93 percent year-on-year. However the company said it would ship fewer phones in the fourth quarter due to the global economic slowdown. Although North America and Europe remain HTC's biggest markets, the company said China would play a growing role in its growth. "China is one of the most important growth regions for HTC, and China reported top sales growth across all regions this quarter -- nine fold more than its sales volume in the same period last year," the company said, declining to specify the number of mobile phones it sold in China. HTC sells its own smartphones and also makes handsets for a number of leading US companies, including the Nexus One unveiled by Google.