Customs officials examine containers stocked at a port in Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang province. [Photo/Ningbo Daily]

Ningbo ranked 8th among the top 100 cities in China in terms of comprehensive strength in foreign trade in 2020, according to a report released by China Customs, a magazine sponsored by the General Administration of Customs, on Oct 20.

Its ranking has remained the same for four years in a row.

Shenzhen topped the list, followed by Shanghai, Guangzhou, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Xiamen, Ningbo, Tianjin, and Beijing.

Official statistics show that Ningbo's imports and exports totaled about 980 billion yuan ($150.77 billion)  in 2020, rising by 6.7 percent year-on-year despite negative factors including the COVID-19 pandemic and the global economic recession.

In the first three quarters of this year, the value of imports and exports via Ningbo ports amounted to 1.49 trillion yuan, up 24.2 percent from the same period last year. Among them, Ningbo companies' aggregate foreign trade volume surpassed 600 billion yuan, making up 40.3 percent of the total.

Goods were primarily shipped to and from the United States, the European Union, as well as ASEAN.

From January to September, trade between Ningbo ports and the three aforementioned economies was valued at 265.75 billion yuan, 264.14 billion yuan, as well as 147.47 billion yuan respectively, up 26.9 percent, 28.6 percent, and 21.4 percent, with the combined value accounting for 45.4 percent of the total trade handled via the city's ports.