Ningbo ranked 8th among the top 100 cities in China in terms of comprehensive strength in foreign trade in 2019, according to a report released by China Customs, a magazine sponsored by the General Administration of Customs on July 28. 

Its ranking was the same as the previous year. Shenzhen topped the list, followed by Shanghai, Guangzhou, Dongguan, Xiamen, Suzhou, Zhuhai, Ningbo, Chongqing and Qingdao.

Ningbo has ranked among the top 10 two years in a row, indicating its resilience. 

Statistics from Ningbo Customs show that Ningbo's imports and exports totaled 430.75 billion yuan ($62.42 billion) in the first half of this year, down 0.6 percent year-on-year.

The city's exports stood at 278.92 billion yuan, representing a yearly uptick of 0.3 percent year-on-year, while imports slid 2.2 percent to 151.83 billion yuan.

In June alone, the city's foreign trade value soared 27 percent year-on-year to 89.8 billion yuan. It was the fourth month in a row that the city has reported positive growth this year.

This strong economic recovery can be partly attributed to the strong efforts made by local authorities to optimize the local business climate.

Since the onset of the COVID-19 epidemic, the local government has rolled out a string of measures to help companies resume production, expand the domestic market, and promote trade facilitation.