China has been advancing its high-standard opening up. As one of the world's mega-cities, Shanghai is driving China's rising influence in global trade. Wan Hongjia reports from Shanghai. 

A domestic vessel, fully loaded with China-made vehicles, has just arrived at Shanghai's Haitong International Automotive Terminal in the Waigaoqiao Port Area via the Yangtze River waterway. 

Here, at China's largest roll-on/roll-off terminal for complete vehicles, the cars are transferred onto overseas vessels for export. 

WEI JIA JIAN Dispatch Section Manager, Terminal Operations Department, Shanghai Haitong International Automotive Terminal Co., Ltd. "At our terminals, we handle a minimum of 10,000 vehicles daily. The export volume of China-made vehicles has been consistently growing. A decade ago, the business was almost entirely dominated by imported cars. Now, we're essentially shipping out exports."

In 2024, Haitong Company handled more than 3.6 million vehicles across its "two ports, three terminals" network, ranking first in the world for the very first time. 

From January to August 2025, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Port Customs recorded the export of over 960,000 vehicles through Haitong Terminal in the Waigaoqiao Port Area, a year-on-year increase of more than 19 percent. 

At the same time, the shipyard is also riding this wave of rapid growth. 

WEI YAN Marketing Assistant Manager, Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. "Based on the current orders, the total value will exceed 10 billion US dollars. The annual delivery volume is around twenty vessels, but this year may see overproduction, by potentially twenty-seven or twenty-eight vessels. The surge in car carrier vessels is primarily driven by China's exports, as China's automobile exports have set record highs in recent years."

The strong momentum in manufacturing is being matched by steady progress in the financial markets, together forging a new model of mutual empowerment. 

The Shanghai Futures Exchange now offers 43 futures and options contracts, giving real-sector enterprises powerful tools to hedge risks. 

ZHOU YU Senior Manager, International Cooperation Department, Shanghai Futures Exchange "When domestic and foreign enterprises engage in cross-border trade cooperation for products such as Crude Oil, Bonded Copper, and TSR20, they now reference these futures prices in their contracts. They are leveraging these benchmark prices to conduct tangible commodity trades with real capital."

The growing global influence of the "Shanghai Price" is transforming China's manufacturing strength into increased pricing power, demonstrating how a dynamic China is actively pushing forward the future of world trade.