The 2020 Forum of Major Leaders of the Yangtze River Delta is slated to be held in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province from June 5 to 6. [Photo/WeChat account: huzhoufabu]

The 2020 Forum of Major Leaders of the Yangtze River Delta is slated to be held in Huzhou, East China's Zhejiang province from June 5 to 6.

As the second city to hold the forum following Wuhu in Anhui province, Huzhou has been actively promoting YRD integration and has become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the joint initiative. Huzhou is located in the center of the YRD, and the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou Railway, which is set to begin construction in June, is expected to turn the city into a regional transport hub, as it will be the only city within a one-hour train ride of Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Hefei.

The development of Mingshuo (Huzhou) Optoelectronic Technology Co Ltd typifies the benefits of YRD integration. The smart street lights manufactured by the company are able to monitor traffic conditions and alert the police in case of any incidents.

According to Jiang Wei, deputy general manager of Mingshuo, the company has also established research organs in Shanghai and conducts R&D in energy storage with a company based in Anhui.

Landspace, a leading private aerospace company based in Huzhou, is also an example of a company which has benefited from YRD integration. It is working to develop carrier rockets for commercial use.

Du Fangping, general manager of Landspace's plant in Huzhou, pointed out that the YRD has abundant reserves of R&D resources and skilled personnel, as well as a large amount of capital needed for the rapid development of enterprises.

Huzhou’s location and congenial business climate have also attracted giants like Geely. The auto maker established two plants in Changxing, a county-level city in Huzhou, to produce new energy vehicles and automatic gearboxes, with a combined investment of over 30 billion yuan ($4.34 billion).

Changxing is also home to the nation’s leading battery enterprises like Tianneng and Chilwee.

Changxing epitomizes development in Huzhou, according to Mayor Wang Gang.

Huzhou is surrounded by Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and other cities with GDPs exceeding one trillion yuan.

"Among the cities surrounding Taihu Lake, Huzhou is not big, but it has great potential for development,” Wang said.

In the first quarter of this year, the investment completion rate of the 91 provincial key projects in Huzhou ranked first in Zhejiang province.

In April, the city decided to allocate a fund worth 100 billion yuan to promote investment and talent introduction.