(Yicai) Aug. 5 -- Artificial intelligence, new energy, and other advanced technology and manufacturing sectors are quickly re-ordering China’s foreign trade rankings, with five of the top 20 cities moving up the first-half leaderboard and seven shifting down.

Shenzhen remained first for imports and exports with a record high of nearly CNY2.88 trillion (USD426.8 billion) in the six months ended June 30, followed by Shanghai at almost CNY2.55 trillion, also a new high, according to data from the General Administration of Customs. Suzhou ranked third with CNY1.83 trillion, overtaking Beijing by CNY41.5 billion (USD6.2 billion).

China's international trade rose 17 percent in the first half from a year earlier. The cities of Xi’an, Hefei, Suzhou, and Shenzhen posted the biggest gains at 96 percent, 42 percent, 41 percent, and 33 percent, respectively, indicating that trade opportunities, factory orders, and investment are increasingly concentrating in a few high-growth centers.

One of the major forces behind strong trade growth in the Yangtze River Delta region -- a vast area encompassing cities such as Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Wuxi -- is the concentration of orders for new energy vehicles, photovoltaics, and computing chips, amid the global green transition and the rise of the AI industry, Zhan Yubo, deputy director and researcher at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Economics, previously told Yicai.

Shenzhen’s trade in high-tech products reached CNY1.7 trillion, accounting for 59 percent of its total, with exports of smart products, including 3D printers, digital cameras, and industrial robots, surging 92 percent to CNY15.2 billion. Shanghai's exports of high-tech goods soared 35 percent to make up nearly 30 percent of its total, with that of integrated circuits and autos jumping 21 percent and 82 percent, respectively.

Suzhou's computer, communication, and electronic equipment manufacturing industry grew 68 percent in the first half, accounting for 53 percent of its exports. Exports of electrical machinery and equipment rose 19 percent, with electrical gear shipments rising 26 percent and household appliance exports growing 14 percent. Pharmaceutical exports soared 88 percent, while exports of lithium batteries and solar products surged 79 percent and 103 percent.

Editor: Martin Kadiev