SHANGHAI - China's financial hub of Shanghai has witnessed brisk demand for imported consumer goods, with a sustainable growth in value, said customs authorities on Tuesday.

In the first half of this year, the value of goods imported to Shanghai reached 133.96 billion yuan (about $21.44 billion), a 26. percent year-on-year increase, according to Shanghai customs.

Shanghai has consistently been China's top importer of consumer goods.

Returning confidence among consumers, the expansion of government policies on imports and exports, as well as cross-border electronic commerce all contributed to Shanghai's vigorous growth in this sector.

The European Union (EU) was the largest source of Shanghai's imports of consumer goods in the first half, shipping in products with a value of 71.51 billion yuan. The Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was the second-largest and the United States the third.

In the period, Shanghai's top three import commodities in value were passenger vehicles, medical and healthcare products, as well as garments.

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