TRADE through the Shanghai port jumped 37.3 percent from a year earlier in June to a record US$59.2 billion, Shanghai Customs said yesterday.

Exports through the port climbed 44 percent to US$37.2 billion last month while imports rose 27 percent.

In the first six months, trade through the Shanghai port gained 39.5 percent from a year earlier to US$315.5 billion, up 6.5 percent from the same period in 2008, which was prior to the global financial crisis.

Shanghai aims to build itself into a global shipping center by 2020 and is working to make its port more attractive for neighboring provinces to trade their cargo.