An tanker docks at Yantai Port on May 17. [Photo/IC]

Foreign trade in Yantai, a coastal city of East China's Shandong province, saw steady growth from January to May, the city's commerce bureau reported.

In the first five months of the year, exports and imports in Yantai totaled 164.24 billion yuan ($25.33 billion), with an increase of 57.5 percent, 29.3 points higher than that of the whole country and 18.6 points higher than that of the province.

Its exports reached 95.92 billion yuan, up 48 percent, while its imports totaled 68.32 billion yuan, an increase of 73.1 percent.

General trade imports and exports amounted to 73.53 billion yuan, an increase of 33.8 percent, accounting for 44.8 percent of the city's total.

Imports and exports of foreign-invested enterprises were valued at 71.13 billion yuan, an increase of 64.7 percent and accounting for 43.3 percent of the city's total, while the figure for private enterprises reached 81.5 billion yuan, up 57.4 percent.

The United States was the largest trading partner of Yantai. From January to May this year, the city's foreign trade to the United States grew by 129.7 percent to 24.42 billion yuan.