Capital city Beijing reported a 38.8 percent year-on-year rise in imports in the first two months of this year, according to customs figures obtained Sunday.

The city's imports in January and February added up to 10.355 billion US dollars, while exports totaled 2.354 billion US dollars, down 0.6 percent over the same period of last year, figures suggest.

Local companies, excluding state-run enterprises based in Beijing, posted a 64.1 percent rise in imports, which totaled 2.348 billion US dollars, and a 28.8 percent increase in exports, which amounted to 1.234 billion US dollars.

Foreign-invested companies remained a major contributor in boosting the city's trade growth, with 1.39 billion US dollars of imports and 872 million US dollars of exports.

Local government-run enterprises, on the other hand, reported 833 million US dollars of imports and 318 million US dollars of exports.

Asia continued to be Beijing's major trade partner, with 1.337 billion US dollars of imports and 568 million US dollars of exports.

Two-way trade between Beijing and the island province of Taiwan increased by 120 percent to 139 million US dollars, with 122 million US dollars of imports and 17 million US dollars of exports.

Affected by the avian influenza outbreak in some parts of China, Beijing's export of poultry products in the first two months dropped 45.9 percent year on year to 1.33 million US dollars. No export of eggs or pet birds was reported.

(Xinhua News Agency March 20, 2004)