Shanghai's imports and exports in the first five months of this year amounted to 1.74 trillion yuan, a rise of 12.6 percent from that of 2021 and a record high for this particular period, according to the latest data from Shanghai Customs.

During the January-May period, imports to Shanghai grew 13.2 percent year-on-year to hit 1.04 trillion yuan, while exports via the city soared 19.8 percent year-on-year to 702.37 billion yuan.

From January to May, Shanghai's imports and exports to and from the EU, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the US and Japan were 357.23 billion yuan, 221.64 billion yuan, 200.67 billion yuan, and 161.82 billion yuan respectively.

Exports of electric vehicles and lithium batteries during this period increased by 152.9 percent and 240.7 percent respectively.

Shanghai's imports of consumer products also saw strong recovery in the first five months and accounted for more than 40 percent of the nation's total.