Ordos city in North China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region was voted as one of China’s top 100 foreign trade cities in 2019, according to a list recently released by China Customs magazine.

City officials said Ordos ranked 85th on the list compiled by the magazine, sponsored by China's General Administration of Customs.

They said the selection criteria utilized 25 indicators, which include a city’s foreign trade level competitiveness, structural competitiveness, benefit competitiveness, development competitiveness and potential competitiveness.

Officials added that the comprehensive foreign trade competitiveness score based on the selection criteria was highly authoritative.

They said that Ordos had adopted a complete industrial and economic development system led by its energy driven economy -- turning itself from the most impoverished area in Inner Mongolia into the leader of industrial development in the autonomous region.

In the wake of its reform and opening-up, Ordos seized the opportunities presented by the national resource transformation strategy.

Officials said it started its industrial economic transformation, moving from such traditional areas of endeavor as woolen spinning and moving into areas such as energy.