Imports and exports continued to surge at Shanghai port, with the volume totaling US$245.5 billion in the first five months of 2008.

Shanghai Customs statistics showed the trade volume was 26.6 percent up year on year, 7.4 percentage points higher than that of same period of last year.

With this volume, Shanghai port did about one-quarter of the country's foreign trade, said a source.

In a breakdown, exports totaled US$155.73 billion, up 28.2 percent, and imports made up US$89.77 billion, up 23.9 percent, of which, imports under general trade accounted for US$35.2 billion, up 28.2 percent from a year ago but 3.2 percentage points faster.

Foreign trade peaked in May at Shanghai port to hit US$51.86 billion, up 35.6 percent from the same month a year ago.

The lion's share of the foreign trade at Shanghai port was done by overseas financed ventures, followed by state-owned companies and private Chinese businesses.

The European Union (EU) remained the port's top trading partner, followed by the United States, Japan, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Africa.

(Xinhua News Agency June 18, 2008)