Conference brings neighboring ports' industries together

As part of its mission to become the "northern gateway of Shanghai", Nantong, a port city in eastern Jiangsu, is demonstrating its attractions to businesses from Shanghai.

The Nantong-Shanghai Cooperation Conference held in Shanghai late last month was hosted by Nantong Party chief Lu Zhipeng and Nantong Mayor Han Liming. It attracted more than 2,000 business leaders, government officials and industrial experts from Shanghai.

A total of 32 investment projects were signed at the meeting, with combined investment amounting to 52.2 billion yuan ($7.57 billion).

Among these projects, there are four mega projects each with investment surpassing 5 billion yuan and 16 large projects each with funding surpassing 1 billion yuan.

"We have found that Nantong's unique advantage for attracting investment is its close relations with Shanghai," said He Wanpeng, president of the Shanghai Qiantan Emerging Industry Research Center, who has studied Nantong's growth for many years.

He said Nantong and neighboring Shanghai have both similar and complementary characteristics.

"The two cities share similar cultures and common passion for innovation and entrepreneurship," He said.

He noted that Nantong has a sound industrial foundation, making it possible for the city to draw high-tech projects from Shanghai.

"Nantong is actually the ideal venue to industrialize the research achievements made in Shanghai, which is now on its way to becoming a global technological innovation hub," He said.

He suggested Nantong and Shanghai form an industrial alliance, with Nantong helping Shanghai to materialize its advanced sciences and technologies and Shanghai lending its tech support for Nantong's growth.

Nantong Party chief Lu Zhipeng said that by partnering with Shanghai, Nantong will be better positioned to grow into a city of innovation.

Lu said Nantong alone possesses the foundation and passion necessary to build a city of innovation.

He said Nantong was a pioneer in China's industrialization during the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the Republic of China period (1912-49).

Zhang Jian (1853-1926), a native of Nantong, was a prominent industrialist at the turn of the last century. He believed industrialization could help the nation, which was semi-colonized by Western powers, to become independent and powerful.

Zhang and his folks founded a number of modern companies in Nantong, blazing a trail for China's industrialization. Zhang himself established more than 20 enterprises.

Since China began its reform and opening-up initiatives in the late 1970s, many entrepreneurs from Nantong have expanded their businesses to the rest of the country and the world.

According to the Nantong Federation of Industry and Commerce, more than 100,000 businesspeople are doing business worldwide.

He Wanpeng said he is most impressed with the civilized Nantong people's good education and enterprising spirit, which he regards as invaluable for local social progress and economic growth.

Lu said the city of Nantong has emphasized education for many decades.

He cited the example of industrialist Zhang Jian, who was also a renowned scholar and educator during the late Qing Dynasty. Zhang founded more than 370 schools in Nantong and the rest of the country in the belief that education is another powerful means to make a country strong.

Lu said the great number of entrepreneurs and the well-educated residents in Nantong are now offering strong financial, intelligence and technological support for Nantong to become a prominent city in industry and innovation.

Lu said that the city should make further efforts to foster and attract talented people and create better conditions for them to conduct research and start businesses.

He noted that the city is planning to draw high-caliber academics, ordinary technicians and skilled workers to settle in Nantong.

Nantong also plans to establish or strengthen more educational and research institutions to train local professionals.

(China Daily 05/19/2017 page12)