(Yicai) June 13 -- The port economy of China’s seaport cities grew 6 percent last year, underscoring the key role that the sector plays as a growth engine of these coastal metropolises, a new study found.

The value added of the port economies in 59 seaport cities reached a combined CNY6.7 trillion (USD932.8 billion) in 2024, accounting for 14 percent of their gross domestic product, according to the report published yesterday by the planning and research institute of China’s transport ministry.

Ports play a major role in building a modern economy and are a key driver of growth in China’s coastal cities, Liu Zhanshan, the institute’s deputy director, said at an event to release the report at the Tianjin International Shipping Industry Expo.

At CNY3 trillion (USD417.7 billion), the port economy of the Yangtze River Delta region, which encompasses Shanghai and parts of eastern Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, accounted for 45 percent of the national total in 2024. Shanghai alone contributed one-fifth of the region’s total, ranking first in the country.

Guangdong, China’s biggest provincial economy, was second at USD208.8 billion, accounting for 23 percent of the national total. The cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, and Huizhou were the main contributors to that province’s port economy.

China’s port sector has developed into a well-organized system, with Shanghai and surrounding urban clusters at its core. The Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta regions are the main engines of growth, helping spur development in other areas such as the Bohai Rim as well as the southeast and southwest coastal regions, the report noted.

The study rated the development of port cities based on four criteria, namely port logistics, port-related industries, port services and how well cities integrate industry and urban development. Shanghai was the only city to get an A+ rating. Municipalities that received an A rating included Tianjin, Qingdao, Suzhou, Ningbo, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen.

Editors: Dou Shicong, Kim Taylor