North China's port city of Tianjin reported US$59.9 billion of foreign trade in the first nine months of this year, up 24 percent on the same period last year, according to the latest customs statistics.

This includes US$33 billion worth of exports and US$26.9 billion of imports, up 23 percent and 26 percent year-on-year, according to the Tianjin municipal customs.

Tianjin is the largest foreign trade port in northern China.

In the first nine months, foreign-owned companies based in Tianjin reported US$28.3 billion of foreign trade, contributing 47 percent of the city's total trade volume.

During the period, state-owned enterprises contributed US$22 billion of foreign trade, or 37 percent of the total.

Between January and September, Tianjin posted US$35.1 billion of general trade and US$17.5 billion of processing trade, both up 23 percent year-on-year.

Electronic products and machinery retained top position in the city's exports, while imports were mainly iron ore and crude oil.

During the period, Tianjin exported US$5.6 billion worth of electronic products, or 17 percent of the total, and exported US$3.2 billion worth of machinery, or 9.7 percent of the total.

From January to September, Tianjin imported US$1.62 billion worth of iron ore and US$770 million worth of crude oil.

The United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Germany and Australia were the city's major trade partners in the first nine months of this year. Their trade volume with Tianjin totaled US$31.8 billion, or 53 percent of the city's total, statistics show.

(Xinhua News Agency October 18, 2005)