(Yicai) May 22 -- China's top 10 cities for exports remained relatively stable in the first four months of this year as Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Suzhou held onto the top positions but Qingdao replaced Foshan to enter the top 10.

Shenzhen's exports amounted to CNY893.32 billion (USD123.4 billion), up 34 percent from a year ago, according to customs data released yesterday. The city's imports totaled CNY517.26 billion, a 28 percent increase. Consequently, its total foreign trade jumped 32 percent to CNY1.41 trillion (USD194.7 billion).

The southeastern tech hub has retained its top spot in exports for 31 consecutive years. In the four months, it ranked as China's No. 1 city in terms of foreign trade and growth, while last year, it was second in terms of the total value of imports and exports.

The main growth driver of Shenzhen is private enterprises as their imports and exports totaled CNY1 trillion during the four months, up 48 percent. They made up 71 percent of the city's foreign trade, up from 63.2 percent.

Jinhua in Zhejiang province boasted second-fastest growth in the top 10, adding 16 percent to its exports to reach CNY230.2 billion, ranking sixth, unchanged from a year ago. Jinhua is home to Yiwu, a city known for its massive small commodities market. Yiwu accounts for nearly 80 percent of Jinhua's export volume at CNY176.4 billion, up 20 percent. Shenzhen and Jinhua are the only two cities in the top 10 to exceed the national average of growth.

Shandong province's Qingdao expanded its exports by 9 percent to CNY162.4 billion, entering the top 10 club. The boost is partly explained by the city's output of home appliances as such exports amounted to CNY13.3 billion (USD1.8 billion), a 30 percent increase.

Qingdao's rise meant that Foshan, which was No. 10 last year, dropped in the ranking, falling to the 15th place. The southern city recorded a 38 percent slump in exports to CNY131.9 billion while its foreign trade shrank by 30 percent.

Besides Foshan, two other major economic powerhouses in Guangdong province, Guangzhou and Dongguan, logged falling exports. Guangzhou, the provincial capital, ranked seventh with its exports of CNY195.71 billion, down 12 percent, while foreign trade dropped by 9 percent.

Meanwhile, Dongguan, known for factories of phone brands such as Vivo and Oppo, recorded a 4 percent decline in exports to CNY254.79 billion. That meant that Ningbo, an eastern port city that makes electrical products and textiles, replaced Dongguan as China's fourth-largest export city while the southern municipality dropped by one slot.

Besides changes in foreign trade, Guangzhou's sluggish performance is partly linked to base effects. In the first four months of last year, the city exported CNY225.9 billion of goods, up 21 percent year-over-year, while foreign trade returned to expansion from contraction.

Editor: Emmi Laine