BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- China will continue to open up the Yangtze River Delta, one of the country's economic powerhouses, according to a statement issued after a State Council executive meeting on Wednesday.

The cluster of cities in the region with Shanghai in the center will work together to solicit foreign capital, attract high-quality employees globally and open up the service sector.

An outline for the development of city clusters in the region was adopted at the meeting, which covers Shanghai, and parts of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui provinces.

The region will push ahead with trade facilitation and strive for steady and upgraded foreign trade, according to the statement.

The statement focused on advanced industrial equipment, information technology, bio-pharmaceuticals, automobiles and new materials, and backed the development of services, including finance, R&D and logistics.

To make the region a better growth engine, development coordination will link the cities with more railways, expressways and waterways, it said.