(Yicai) Aug. 14 -- The larger cities of China’s Yangtze River Delta region generally had faster economic growth than their counterparts in the Pearl River Delta region in the first half of the year, according to official figures.

Per data released by the 24 Chinese cities that had gross domestic product of at least CNY1 trillion (USD138.1 billion) each last year, seven of the eight in the Yangtze Delta area grew faster than the national average of 5.5 percent in the six months ended June 30, while three of the four in the Pearl Delta area expanded more slowly than the national average. The two exceptions were Suzhou and Shenzhen.

Shanghai, the metropolis at the heart of the Yangtze Delta region, led with a 9.7 percent surge in GDP to CNY2.14 trillion, the most of any city, mainly because of a low comparative base a year earlier due to strict Covid-19 restrictions at the time.

Inadequate overseas demand is a key reason for the variance between the two regions in the first half, Chen Yao, secretary-general of the Chinese Association for Regional Economics, told Yicai. As foreign demand weakened, the export-focused Pearl Delta area was hit harder, while the Yangtze Delta area, which has a more balanced economy, escaped with a better than average result, Chen said.

Despite years of upgrading, the Pearl Delta region’s pillar industry is still the production of items with a low entry barrier such as footwear, garments, and toys, while their manufacturers tend to make products for foreign brands so they are very much affected by negative overseas factors, Chen added.

For example, the GDP of Dongguan, a major southern manufacturing city, rose just 1.5 percent in the six months due to a slump in foreign demand to come last among the 24 cities in the CNY1 trillion club. In the same period, the added value of the city’s large industrial enterprises fell 5.9 percent, and that of manufacturers sank 6.4 percent, according to local government data.

Overall, thirteen cities among the 24 logged growth rates higher than the national average in the first half, while 10 reported lower numbers. 

The CNY1 trillion club also includes Beijing and Tianjin in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, three cities in Central China including Wuhan, three in West China such as Chengdu, two in eastern Shandong province, and two more in Fujian province.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine