A hundred and sixty international college students from the Yangtze River Delta region started their three-day trip in Shanghai on July 7 to better understand the development in the region.

Jointly organized by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and education departments from Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui provinces, the three-day trip also involved 40 college scholars from the Yangtze River Delta region.

"The Yangtze River Delta is well-developed and attracts attention from all over the world," said Luo Yuyang, a student from Malaysia who is studying about cultural relics and museums at Zhejiang University. "It will become an economic center for Eastern countries and also a link to the world. I expect this trip to improve my understanding of the region's development."

Luo added that he would embark on a career that would allow him to share of his China experience with people from his home country.

During the trip, students visited the automation area at the Yangshan Deepwater Port, boarded the 20,000-metric ton COSCO container cargo ship, and visited two leading medicine and medical technology companies — Shanghai Biotecan Pharmaceuticals Co Ltd and Shanghai Ankon Technologies Co Ltd.

The students also visited landmarks in the city such as the Shanghai Tower, the highest building in the city, as well as the Bund and several famous universities.

"I love Shanghai. This trip is an excellent opportunity to learn more about the city," said Carlo Dragonetti, a masters student who is studying international relations in the East China Normal University in Shanghai.

The Italian said he believes what he has learned during this trip will be beneficial to his career development.

The Yangtze River Delta — it is at the convergence of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Yangtze River Economic Zone — is one of the regions in China which has had the highest degree of opening-up since the nation's reform and opening-up 40 years ago.

The region's GDP of 19.5 trillion yuan ($3.08 trillion) last year accounted for roughly 25 percent of the national total, according to official statistics.

The region is also the leading force in the country for education development. Official statistics show that about 138,600 international students from over 190 countries and regions studied in the region's colleges and institutions last year, accounting for 28.33 percent of the international student population in China.