The Yangtze River Delta region recorded 9.59 trillion yuan ($1.34 trillion) in foreign trade in the first seven months of 2025, a 5.4 percent increase from a year earlier, fueled by stronger trade with emerging economies.

Data from Shanghai Customs show the region accounted for 37.3 percent of China's total foreign trade, an increase of 0.7 percentage points from the same period last year.

Exports of electromechanical products climbed 9.4 percent to 3.64 trillion yuan, supported by rising demand for electric vehicles, integrated circuits, and high-end equipment.

These high-value sectors reflect the region's accelerating industrial upgrading and its central role in China's manufacturing transformation.

The delta also expanded its global reach through diversified trade ties. ASEAN was its largest trading partner, with trade up 17.5 percent to 1.51 trillion yuan.

Growth was strong with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative, members of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and African nations.

Against this backdrop, Shanghai, as the delta's core hub, is reinforcing its role in supporting broader regional development.

The city’s port now handles more than 95 percent of Anhui-based Chery Automobile's exports through river-sea intermodal transport, while also channeling export volumes from manufacturing bases across Jiangsu province and other middle and lower Yangtze regions.

Source: Jiefang Daily