TIANJIN -- Foreign trade of Binhai New Area of North China's port city of Tianjin rose 6.5 percent to 354.12 billion yuan (about $52.2 billion) in the first eight months of this year, local authorities said.

During the period, Binhai's exports reached 119.43 billion yuan, up 13.7 percent year-on-year, while its imports totaled 234.69 billion yuan, up 3.2 percent, according to Tianjin customs.

In August alone, the area's imports and exports reached 47.88 billion yuan, up 16 percent year-on-year.

During the January-August period, the European Union, ASEAN, the United States, the Republic of Korea and Japan were the top five trading partners of Binhai New Area.