Tianjin port sees goods trade up 9 pct in January

Goods trade via the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin rose 8.9 percent year-on-year in January with the help of booming trade with the European Union.

Goods trade totalled 121.86 billion yuan (18.2 billion U.S. dollars), Tianjin Customs said Thursday. Exports rose 2.2 percent to 57.85 billion yuan while imports jumped 15.7 percent to 64.01 billion yuan.

Goods trade with Belt and Road countries rose 3.8 percent to account for a quarter of the total. Trade with the EU and Japan rose 22.5 percent and 7.3 percent, respectively, while that with the United States fell 29.8 percent.

Private businesses saw trade up 17.1 percent to 53.79 billion yuan, or 44.1 percent of the total.

Mechanical and electrical products were the top trading category, contributing to 44.7 percent of the total.