The Los Angeles Customs District, which includes the Los Angeles and Long Beach seaports, is expected to remain the nation’s preferred gateway for international trade in 2011. It will handle about $372.8 billion in imports and exports this year, an increase of 7.5% over 2010, according to a new report by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation.

The report, International Trade Trends: The Southern California Region Review and 2011 Outlook, was officially released Monday at midnight. It contains a number of positive indicators about the effect of trade on the Southern California economy.

Read the rest at the Los Angeles Times blog