SHANGHAI, June 30 -- Shanghai recorded 78.39 billion yuan (10.85 billion U.S. dollars) worth of solar cell exports in the first five months of this year, an increase of 32.9 percent over the same period of last year, statistics from the city's customs authority showed.

The exports via Shanghai represented more than half of solar cell exports nationwide, said the Shanghai Customs.

From January to May, the customs office in Shanghai's Yangshan Port saw solar cell exports worth 37.1 billion yuan, which were mainly sold to developed economies such as the European Union and the United States.

As Chinese-made photovoltaic cells continue to rank first in terms of global market share, Chinese customs authorities have enhanced the protection of intellectual property rights of Chinese products.