At the very beginning of China's reform and opening-up 30 years ago, the city of Nantong at the mouth of the Yangtze River and on the Yellow Sea began to focus on port development and has since charted a well-conceived course to economic development.

As development took hold, the government began planning for construction of deepwater ports at Yangkou and Lusi in the 1980s. After two decades of effort, the two ports opened last year and now enable direct business links with international markets as well as to the upper reaches of the Yangtze.

The Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge also became operational last year, further facilitating transportation between the northern and southern banks of the Yangtze.

Construction on another bridge, between Chongming and Qidong, over the fabled river began last year to significantly shorten travel time between Nantong and Shanghai.

Because of the enhanced investment in infrastructure, Nantong has become increasingly attractive to domestic and overseas investors.

Nantong now has a number of industrial parks, including the Shanghai Waigaoqiao-Qidong Industrial Park, Zhangjiang-Haimen Hi-tech Park, Fudan University-Haimen Science Park and Suzhou-Nantong Science and Technology Park.

Relying on its port facilities, the city has developed pillar industries including shipbuilding, construction equipment, new energy, energy equipment, petrochemicals and new materials.

Nantong now has about 100 large investment projects funded by 16 massive domestic enterprises and 34 Fortune 500 companies including Keppel Corp of Singapore, Kawasaki Heavy Industries of Japan, Goldman Sachs Group Inc of the United States and China Ocean Shipping (Group) Co.

It is the only city in Jiangsu province included in two national strategic development plans - the Jiangsu Coastal Development Plan and the Yangtze River Delta Integration Plan - due to its strategic position for Yangtze River Delta economic development, as well as for northern Jiangsu province and inland China.

In the Jiangsu Coastal Development Plan, Nantong is designated as an economic center and a major port in north Jiangsu, and a part of the Shanghai international shipping hub. The Yangtze River Delta Integration Plan has seen Nantong as one of 16 core cities. It will serve as a modern international port, new material and new energy base and regional transport hub.

Figures show that Nantong generated about two-thirds of the GDP, industrial output value, import and export volume and port throughput of all the coastal cities in Jiangsu.

With a GDP of over 200 billion yuan last year, Nantong led the province in economic growth. Its per-capita GDP is projected to surpass the average in east China by 2010.

(China Daily 09/22/2009 page15)