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)