Myanmar traded most with Asian countries and regions in the fiscal year 2006-07, which ended in March, the local Weekly Eleven News reported Monday.

Thailand stood as Myanmar's top trading partner during the year with a bilateral trade volume of 2.659 billion U.S. dollars between Myanmar and Thailand in 2006-07. Thailand also stood as Myanmar's largest exporting country with an export figure of 2.409billion dollars, the Ministry of Commerce was quoted as saying.

After Thailand, Myanmar's other main trading partners were lined up as China with 1.274 billion dollars, Singapore (1.217 billion dollars), India (895 million dollars) and China's Hong Kong (424 million dollars).

In its bilateral trade with Thailand, India and China's Hong Kong, Myanmar gained a trade surplus especially with Thailand for exporting natural gas. But it suffered a trade deficit in bilateral trade with China and Singapore as it had to import goods for investment and office use as well as consumers goods which the country mainly needs, the report said.

With China representing as Myanmar's main border trade partner, the two countries' border trade volume was more than the normal trade's.

In Myanmar's border trade partners line-up, China (721 million dollars) was followed by Thailand (248 million dollars), Bangladesh (25 million dollars) and India (17 million dollars), the report added.

According to the ministry's latest released figures, Myanmar's foreign trade hit 8 billion U.S. dollars in 2006-07, exceeding the original target of 7 billion dollars.

Of the total which stood a new record high in 18 years since 1989, Myanmar's exports accounted for 5 billion dollars, while the imports took 3 billion dollars, registering a trade surplus of 2 billion dollars, the figures show.

In 2005-06, the country 's foreign trade volume reached 5.54 billion dollars, up 12 percent from the previous fiscal year, and enjoyed a trade surplus of 1.6 billion dollars.

The Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development attributed the trade surplus gained in the last two years mainly to the export of natural gas, followed by that of agricultural, mineral and marine products.

Myanmar only enjoyed trade surplus in the past five consecutive years since 2002-03, before which it suffered a trade deficit for many years.

Sharing 90 percent with Asian countries, Myanmar's foreign trade with European nations took up 4.8 percent of the total and with American countries 1.5 percent.

Myanmar's trade with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations accounted for 51.3 percent of the total.

Myanmar mainly imports machinery, crude oil, edible oil, pharmaceutical products, cement, fertilizer and consumers goods.