The Yangtze River Delta region, comprising Shanghai municipality and Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, accounted for 40.2 percent of China's total exports in 2025, according to customs data released on Jan 19.

The combined exports from the four administrative divisions totaled 10.85 trillion yuan ($1.56 trillion), up 1.1 percentage points from 2024. Export growth in all four areas significantly exceeded the national average of 6.1 percent, with Shanghai and Anhui achieving double-digit growth.

Shanghai posted a strong rebound in foreign trade, driven by high-end manufacturing, expanding emerging markets, and new business models. The city's total foreign trade reached a record 4.51 trillion yuan, up 5.6 percent year-on-year, while exports surged 10.8 percent to 2.02 trillion yuan, the fastest growth among the country's top five foreign trade provinces and cities.

Jiangsu province reported total foreign trade volume reached 5.95 trillion yuan, a 6 percent increase, with exports rising 8.4 percent to 3.96 trillion yuan.

Zhejiang province extended its decade-long growth streak in foreign trade, with a total trade reaching 5.55 trillion yuan, up 5.4 percent. Exports climbed to 4.19 trillion yuan, ranking second nationwide, with growth of 7.2 percent.

Anhui province reached a major milestone by surpassing 1 trillion yuan in foreign trade for the first time, becoming the ninth province nationwide and the first in Central China to do so. Total trade reached 1.01 trillion yuan, a sharp 17.3 percent increase, while exports rose 17.8 percent to 682.3 billion yuan.

The YRD region also expanded its international market reach. Shanghai recorded export growth to 167 countries and regions, with double-digit increases to emerging markets including Africa, India, and ASEAN. Zhejiang expanded trade with more than 180 countries and regions, with ASEAN emerging as its largest trading partner. Jiangsu and Anhui saw trade with Belt and Road countries growing by over 10 percent, accounting for over half of their total trade volume.

In addition, the region saw positive changes in its export structure. Shanghai's exports of the "new trio" of new energy vehicles, lithium batteries, and photovoltaic products reached 156.67 billion yuan, with electric vehicle exports exceeding 100 billion yuan. Anhui became the first province to export over one million vehicles, with total exports reaching 1.228 million units.

Source: ThePaper