SHENZHEN ranked first among mainland cities for competitiveness in foreign trade, according to a report recently released by the General Administration of Customs (GAC).
Shenzhen was followed by Shanghai, Suzhou, Dongguan and Ningbo.
Compiled by the China Customs magazine, the ranking was mainly based on 2008 data provided by the GAC. Criteria included competitive edge in the level of foreign trade, structure, efficiency, development and potential.
The global financial crisis has taken toll on foreign trade growth in both the Pearl River Delta region and the Yangtze River Delta region, the magazine said. The value of imports and exports was US$210.6 billion for the Yangtze River Delta and US$166 billion for the Pearl River Delta in the fourth quarter last year, a year-on-year fall of 4.4 percent for the Yangtze delta and 6.5 percent for the Pearl delta, far greater than the national average of 1.6 percent for the same period.
The report was, however, quick to point out that the fundamentals of foreign trade for the Chinese mainland remained practically the same, with the two delta regions still taking the lead for the development of China’s foreign trade. The two regions claimed nearly 40 percent of the top 100 cities in terms of foreign trade competitiveness and accounted for up to 93.3 percent of the total value of the mainland’s imports and exports.
In the Yangtze River Delta region, 23 cities had made their way into the rankings while 11 cities in the Pearl River Delta region were listed along with 10 in the Bohai Sea Ring Area.
(SD News)