Foreign trade of China's Yangtze River Delta tops 100 tln yuan

The latest data shows that as of May this year, the cumulative import and export volume of the Yangtze River Delta region has reached 101.2 trillion yuan (about 14.12 trillion U.S. dollars) over the seven years since the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta was elevated to a national strategy, highlighting the region's strong economic resilience and vitality.

According to customs statistics, in the first five months of this year, the Yangtze River Delta region's import and export volume reached 6.73 trillion yuan, marking a year-on-year increase of 5.2 percent and setting a new record high for the same period in history.

In the first five months of this year, machinery and electronic products accounted for nearly 60 percent of the Yangtze River Delta region's total export value. Among them, integrated circuit exports reached 211.16 billion yuan, up 19.3 percent year on year. Automobile exports totaled 146.41 billion yuan, an increase of 14 percent. Exports of industrial robots reached 2.08 billion yuan, representing a significant year-on-year growth of 58.8 percent.

The Yangtze River Delta is home to 26 national-level advanced manufacturing clusters, covering a wide range of fields such as large aircraft, marine engineering equipment, and high-tech ships. These clusters have become a key foundation for driving the region's goods trade toward medium- and high-end development.

"High-tech industries and high-end manufacturing are the main driving forces behind foreign trade in the Yangtze River Delta. One out of every two industrial robots exported nationwide is manufactured in the Yangtze River Delta. High-tech products such as integrated circuits, biomedicine, and artificial intelligence have been exported to over 200 countries and regions worldwide, and the scale of foreign trade continues to grow," said Li Jirong, deputy director of the Department of Statistics and Analysis of Shanghai Customs.

In the first five months of this year, the Yangtze River Delta region's imports and exports with ASEAN and the European Union, its main trading partners, reached 1.07 trillion yuan and 1.02 trillion yuan respectively, representing year-on-year increases of 16.9 percent and 3.9 percent. Meanwhile, the region's total trade with Belt and Road partner countries reached 3.36 trillion yuan, up 10.1 percent year on year.

"Over the past seven years, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui have closely focused on the two key words of 'integration' and 'high-quality." They have continuously deepened industrial collaboration, innovation cooperation, resource sharing, and the flow of production factors, constantly injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of regional foreign trade," said Lian Junwei, a researcher at the Zhejiang Development and Planning Institute.

Foreign trade of China's Yangtze River Delta tops 100 tln yuan

The legacy of the Long March can inspire countries around the world with its experience on building a more peaceful and prosperous future for all, a vision that continues in China's modern governance, according to David Bromwich, former chair of the New Zealand-China Friendship Society.

This year marks the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, a remarkable revolutionary feat achieved under the leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC).

From October 1934 to October 1936, the CPC-led Red Army broke through the encirclement of Kuomintang forces, crossed more than 10 provinces, and braved raging rivers, snow-capped mountains and treacherous grasslands before finally completing their epic 12,500-kilometer military maneuver.

In an exclusive interview with China Media Group (CMG), Bromwich drew on China's historical experience to further reflect on what the Long March spirit means for today's world. He believes that different countries and societies can draw on these historical lessons to build consensus, promote cooperation and create a more peaceful and prosperous future for all.

"So, learn from the conviction of the Red Army, of the Communist Party, and what they did for the people, and take the people with you in that vision, I think it's the lesson to the world," said Bromwich.

Emphasizing that the spirit of the Long March continues to resound, the former Friendship Society chair praised China's modern approach to governance under the leadership of Chinese president Xi Jinping.

"The rest of the world, 83 percent of the world, is looking to China. Xi has statements like a 'harmonious global community.' It's not competing, it's not exploitation, and it's basically a peaceful approach to global governance, absolutely," Bromwich said.

"We see the world in this 21st century, not as China's world, but as China sharing the world. So I think that is what is happening, and that's a continuation from the Long March. Firstly, it was in communities in China. It spread to the whole of China. People share that vision. Now, without being aggressive and without dominating and informing people how to behave, the rest of the world is starting to pick up on that harmony, peace, prosperity," he said.

Long March spirit offers lessons for peaceful, prosperous world: friendship advocate