Largest Trade City

Official figures suggest Shanghai is now the world’s largest international trading city due to the government’s measures to encourage and upgrade trade.

Imports and exports through the city’s ports were nearly 6.9 trillion yuan ($1 trillion) last year, accounting for 28.3 percent of national value and 3 percent of global trade.

Analysts say this is a result of the government’s efforts to cut red tape, encourage cross-border ecommerce platforms and support the development of local brands. The Shanghai free trade zone has also helped trade become more efficient and cut costs through faster customs clearance and foreign exchange payments.

Official data shows trade conducted in the pilot program rose six times from a year ago to nearly 2.5 billion yuan ($363.3 million) in 2016.