Visitors check out agricultural products of Syngenta Group, a Europe-based subsidiary of Sinochem Holdings Corp Ltd, during the fifth China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Nov 9. [Photo/CHINA DAILY]

SHANGHAI -- Imports and exports between Shanghai and Italy saw a 3.2 percent year-on-year increase to reach 99.31 billion yuan ($14.25 billion) in the first 11 months this year, data from Shanghai customs showed.

This makes Italy surpass France and become Shanghai's second-largest trading partner in the European Union.

At present, Germany continues to be Shanghai's largest trading partner among other EU countries. From January to November, the foreign trade volume between Shanghai and Germany exceeded 232 billion yuan, accounting for about one-third of the city's total imports and exports to the EU, said Shanghai customs.

During the same period, Shanghai's foreign trade value with France reached 90.15 billion yuan, down 8.3 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, the EU's total foreign trade with Shanghai exceeded 756.8 billion yuan, up 4 percent compared with the same period of the previous year.

Notably, pure electric passenger vehicles took the lead among Shanghai's exports to the EU, with the value of automobile goods soaring 129.9 percent to 41.75 billion yuan. The municipality's lithium-ion battery exports also increased spectacularly by 560.5 percent to 9.68 billion yuan, said local customs.