Foreign trade of China's capital shrank 37.2 percent year-on-year in the first two months of 2009 to 24.85 billion U.S. dollars as the world economy slowed, the local customs house said Saturday.

Exports were 7.28 billion U.S. dollars, down 6.9 percent, and imports were 17.57 billion U.S. dollars, down 44.6 percent.

Exports of machines, electronics and new- and high-tech products slid but heavy industrial product exports rose.

During the two-month period, Beijing exported 4.44 billion U.S. dollars worth of machines and electronics, down 4.7 percent, and 2.29 billion dollars worth of new- and high-tech products, down 17.3 percent.

But exports of rolled steel rose 31.6 percent to 500,000 tonnes and those of oil products increased 33.3 percent to 622,000 tonnes.

The European Union, the United States and Japan remained the top three trade partners of Beijing.

(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2009)