Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport is one of China's busiest airports. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The GDP of Shanghai's Hongqiao International Central Business District (CBD) surpassed 200 billion yuan ($28.97 billion) last year, local officials said at a press conference in Shanghai on March 23.

Spanning 151.4 square kilometers across Shanghai's Minhang, Changning, Qingpu, and Jiading districts, the Hongqiao CBD has been a powerful force driving the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region and a bridge connecting domestic and international markets.

Since being designated as the core of the Hongqiao International Opening-up Hub five years ago, the Hongqiao CBD has made major strides in boosting transportation, business, exhibitions, and tech innovation.

By the end of 2025, the Hongqiao Comprehensive Transportation Hub, which includes Hongqiao Airport and Hongqiao Railway Station, has become the largest integrated transportation hub in the country and the busiest globally, receiving a total passenger flow of 422 million last year.

It provides one-hour rail access to central Shanghai, two-hour high-speed rail connections to 25 cities in the Yangtze River Delta, and three-hour flights to major cities across China.

Over the past five years, the Hongqiao CBD's s import-export volume has nearly doubled, increasing from 56.8 billion yuan to 102.7 billion yuan, with an average annual growth rate of 16 percent. The number of corporate entities has risen from 49,000 to nearly 100,000, while municipal-recognized headquarters have grown from 73 to 283. The number of professional service institutions has also expanded from 1,341 to 2,676.

Kong Fu'an, executive deputy director of the CBD's administrative committee, said that the business district now hosts over 50 international trade and investment promotion organizations, connecting more than 150 countries and regions.

The CBD is also home to the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), the venue for the annual China International Import Expo (CIIE). The exhibition area of events hosted at the NECC ranks among top globally, with international exhibitions accounting for over 80 percent of the total events.

The spillover effects of the CIIE continue to expand, with a series of investment projects established in Hongqiao during the eighth expo. The value of imported goods in the district increased from 13.3 billion yuan in 2020 to 68.4 billion yuan in 2025.

The number of technology and innovation enterprises continues to grow, with approximately 24,000 tech service companies and 1,183 high-tech enterprises now operating in the business district. High-level R&D centers are rapidly being established, including Midea's Global Innovation Park, Innovent Biologics' Global R&D Center, and Porsche's China R&D Center.