Shanghai accelerates regional transformation

Jinshan district and Baoshan district, the southern and northern ends of Shanghai, will accelerate transformation to further facilitate the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, the municipal government said on a press conference on Tuesday.

According to a guideline released in late June, the combined GDP of the two districts should top 400 billion yuan ($59.46 billion) in 2025. Meanwhile, the industrial output newly realized in Jinshan and Baoshan should account for more than 20 percent of the city's total by 2025.

To realize the goals, Baoshan should aim to build emerging industrial clusters in the fields of high-performance steel, biomedicine and intelligent robots, said local authorities on Tuesday. Various commodity trading platforms best represented by that of steel trading should be set up in Baoshan. An international cruise resort should also be constructed in Baoshan over the next few years.

Carbon fiber composite materials should become one highlight of Jinshan's strength in the future. R&D and production of medical devices, as well as the production and application of drones, should seek substantial development in the southernmost part of Shanghai, top officials said at the Tuesday conference.

Given the national endowment in Jinshan, a new cultural and tourism landmark should be built in the district, while the construction of a national-level high-tech agricultural industrial demonstration zone should also be high up on the schedule, they added.

Strategic cooperation agreements between the two districts and two leading State-owned enterprises — leading steel maker China Baowu and oil and gas provider Sinopec — can be expected. The municipal government wishes to advance the low-carbon development, nurture more emerging industrial clusters and facilitate the maturity of supply chain management under such cooperation.

A total of 15 detailed policies were announced at the press conference to facilitate the implementation of the guideline, covering areas of talent recruitment, land security, fiscal support and housing supply. Jinshan and Baoshan have also come up with their respective action plans.

Shanghai's vice-mayor Wu Qing said at the press conference on Tuesday that the transformation of Baoshan and Jinshan should not be confined within Shanghai but rather based on a wider perspective. It should serve China's major national strategies, including the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region. The industrial chains in the region should be thus further consolidated and a world class coastal industrial belt could be created in this way, he said.