An aerial view of Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province (Photo/CFP)

The Yangtze River Delta has recorded a total foreign trade volume of 101.2 trillion yuan as of May this year following the elevation of the region's integrated development to a national strategy in 2018, according to Shanghai Customs.

As one of China’s most vibrant, open and innovative city clusters, the delta region encompasses the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui and Shanghai Municipality.

In the first five months of this year, the region accounted for 37.5% of China’s total import and export value, and private enterprises contributed 55.6% of the region’s imports and exports.

The region’s main trading partners included ASEAN and the EU. Meanwhile, trade with countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative grew by 10.1% year-on-year.