Mongolia's foreign trade turnover in the first seven months of this year amounted to 7.38 billion U.S. dollars, up 26 percent from the same period last year, customs data showed Thursday.

Exports rose 16.9 percent year on year in the January-July period, while imports grew 39.8 percent, resulting in a trade surplus of 851 million U.S. dollars, according to the Mongolian Customs General Administration (MCGA).

The mining industry accounted for about 85 percent of total exports, the MCGA said in a statement.

China remains Mongolia's major export destination. Among the 60 countries to which Mongolia exported its goods and services in the first seven months this year, China was the recipient of over 86 percent of the total.