Yangtze River Delta foreign trade up 18.8% in first eight months

According to Shanghai Customs statistics, the Yangtze River Delta region's total import and export value reached 13.16 trillion yuan in the first eight months of the year, a record high for the period, up 18.8% year-on-year, accounting for 37.8% of China's total foreign trade. Exports grew 17.9% to 8.34 trillion yuan, while imports rose 20.4% to 4.82 trillion yuan. Trade with Belt and Road partner countries increased 21.7%, and with RCEP members rose 34.8%. Exports of electromechanical products, including integrated circuits (up 100%), automobiles (up 66.8%), and ships (up 30.8%), were highlighted as key drivers.