SHANGHAI Customs, which processes 20 per cent of China's trade, recorded a year-on-year decline of 0.9 per cent in its foreign trade value to US$184.19 billion - its "first decline in many years" to the EU, reports Xinhua.

Imports fell 6.7 per cent to $70.14 billion while exports increased 3.1 per cent to $114.05 billion.

The decrease indicated that trade in the Yangtze River Delta and regions along the river is still weak.

Exports to the European Union dropped 0.9 per cent to $21.29 billion. EU imports declined 7.4 per cent to $16.33 billion. Even in 2012, the most depressing year for the EU market, Shanghai imports from the EU posted 1.4 per cent growth.

Shanghai Customs also reported trade with Japan suffered an even bigger decrease than with the EU. Japanese volume fell 9.2 per cent to $22.65 billion. The fall was 5.3 percentage points more than the EU's.

In the first quarter, among the three largest trade partners of Shanghai, only trade with the US increased, up 5.3 per cent.

In the first quarter, Shanghai's automobile imports plunged 26.5 per cent to $2.87 billion.

A survey on 200 multi-national enterprises in China conducted by Shanghai International Sourcing Promotion Centre shows that the international sourcing confidence index was 53.8 points in the first quarter, only 0.1 points higher than the fourth quarter of 2012.

Industrial product sourcing index was 52.31 points, lower than last quarter's 52.47 points. Consumer product sourcing index was 57.69 points, higher than last quarter's 57.11 points.