News

Industrial zone reaches greater economic heights

By Xu Xiao and Ding Congrong (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-03-15 07:56

The city of Nantong, on China's coast in Jiangsu province, is on its way to greater prosperity, the local government has reported.

This is thanks, in no small part, to the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone. In 2010, the region had a GDP of 26 billion yuan, or almost four times that under the Tenth Five-Year Plan (2001-2005).

Also in 2010, the zone had revenues of 6.43 billion yuan, or about five times revenues at the end of 2005.

In addition, fixed assets investment amounted to 20.84 billion yuan, or four times that at the end of 2005.

From 2006-2010, the zone used $ 2.53 billion (about 166 million yuan) worth of foreign capital, or 2.58 times that of the previous five-year period.

"The 11th Five-Year-Plan (2006-2010) is significant in Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone history," remarked Chen Dexin, the zone's Party chief.

"Over the past five years, the area's strength has gone forward in leaps and bounds. The industrial structure was improved and various support facilities were completed.

"The government itself also made progress," Chen said.

Under the 11th Five-Year Plan, the zone set its sights mainly on structure. Industries above a certain size had an output of 80.3 billion yuan in 2010, up more than 30 percent from 2009.

And it added 14 major enterprises with more than 1 billon yuan in backing.

The amount of emerging high-tech industries as a part of the entire industrial scheme grew 9.5 percentage points in 2010.

Service industry development sped up, with revenues increasing 27.7 percent annually.

Work on the new Nengda commercial zone, a part of the development zone, began during the past five years. Work on the central part has been completed and the commercial zone was chosen as a provincial modern service pilot zone.

At the same time, the Nantong Economic and Technological Development Zone kept an eye on harmonious social and economic development in conjunction with the livelihood of its people. Education, medical care, and culture are a part of this.

Farmers' concerns, along with agriculture and countryside life were dealt with in a better way, the local government has said.

(China Daily 03/15/2011 page8)