Ports at Shanghai reported US$378.17 billion in foreign trade in
the first three quarters of this year, a growth of 20.9 percent on
the same period of last year, local customs sources said
Saturday.
The total included US$238.5 billion in export value, up 22.8
percent, and US$139.68 billion in import value, up 17.8
percent.
The sources said the imports reached a record high at US$17.63
billion in September, up 15 percent year-on-year.
Between January and September, Shanghai saw the European Union
and the Republic of Korea (ROK) as its two major trade
partners.
Bilateral trade between Shanghai and the European Union ports
amounted to US$81.88 billion, or 21.7 percent of Shanghai's total
external trade volume, in the nine months, up 30.2 percent. The
growth rate was 9.3 percentage points higher than the year-earlier
level.
The exports from Shanghai ports to the EU stood at US$55.47
billion, up 32.4 percent, and imports from the EU, at
US$26.4billion, up 25.9 percent.
From January to September, the ports imported US$14.78 billion
worth of goods from ROK, up 15.2 percent. The growth rate was 10
percentage points higher than the year-earlier level.
According to the local customs sources, foreign-funded
businesses made up for 74 percent of the external trade through
Shanghai ports in the first three quarters, with a volume of
US$240.81 billion, up 20.7 percent.
(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2007)
