In a recent visit to Taicang, the governor of Jiangsu called for the city to expand economic cooperation with Shanghai and foreign countries. The call for greater cooperation ties comes as China presses ahead with its Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Belt strategy.

Li Xueyong, head of the Jiangsu provincial government, arrived in Taicang in the morning of August 25, where he visited the exhibition hall for Sino-Germany collaboration achievements and the city's port area.

Li was impressed by Taicang's active collaboration with German companies and from what the city had managed to attain from it.

Approximately 220 German companies have established a presence in Taicang, contributing an annual output value of 30 billion yuan ($4.68 billion).

The establishment of the German Center in Taicang on March 31, 2015, the Taicang office of the German Chamber of Commerce in Oct 2014 and Taicang office in Frankfurt, Germany in 2015 attest to the successful relationship between Taicang and Germany.

During a visit to the Taicang Port, Li noted that it had thrived in recent years, due to its vicinity to Shanghai. He said that the port should work closely with the Shanghai Free Trade Zone and continue the development of port management and logistics to boost growth in other industries.

Taicang Port is a port of call for 173 container lines. In 2014, the port's cargo throughput reached 157 million tons. In the first seven months of 2015, its cargo throughput reached 110 million tons. The port's handling capacity has increased dramatically in the last few years.

In 2013 the port assumed sea port status and has since been integrating customs clearance operations with Shanghai port authorities. Following the implementation of a series of reforms, export cargoes are no longer required to clear customs at Shanghai Yangshan port after having passed through Taicang port.