Tianjin, the largest port city in north China, reaped US$59.9 billion in foreign trade in the first nine months of the year, up 24 percent from the same period last year.

In a breakdown, exports made up 33 billion US dollars, a rise of 23 percent, while imports were US$26.9 billion, up 26 percent, said information from the Tianjin Customshouse.

According to the same sources, general trade rose by 23 percent to hit US$35.1 billion from January to September, and processing trade went up by 23 percent to reach US$17.5 billion.

Overseas financed ventures, state-owned companies and private businesses are three players in the city's foreign trade.

The city exported commodities ranging from electronic products, machinery and equipment, iron and steel products, non-knitted garments, to freight vehicles and spare parts during the January-September period. In the past nine months, there was also a big increase in the import of resource commodities, such as raw and concentrated iron ores, crude oil, and copper ore.

The United States continued to be the No.1 trade partner of this north Chinese port, followed by Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), Germany and Australia.

(Xinhua News Agency October 25, 2005)