Shanghai sees foreign trade growth in January-August

Shanghai's imports and exports reached 2.79 trillion yuan (US$389 billion) in the first eight months of this year, up 3.6 percent year on year, according to local customs.

Over the period, Shanghai's exports rose 4.9 percent year on year to 1.14 trillion yuan, while its imports increased by 2.8 percent to 1.65 trillion yuan, data from Shanghai Customs showed.

Shanghai's trade with the European Union amounted to 570.78 billion yuan, up 7.1 percent year on year, accounting for 20.4 percent of the metropolis' total foreign trade volume in the first eight months.

From January to August, Shanghai exported 786.75 billion yuan of mechanical and electrical products, a year-on-year increase of 8.6 percent, accounting for 69.1 percent of the city's total export value.

Meanwhile, Shanghai imported 376.47 billion yuan of consumer goods, up 10.4 percent year on year, accounting for 22.8 percent of the city's total import value.