Residents reap benefits from innovative NETDA policies

The Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area – in Nantong city in East China’s Jiangsu province -- was among the first group of 14 national-level economic and technological development zones established in China, according to NETDA officials, who said the area is continuing to make substantial progress.

Last year the NETDA ranked among the top 50 industrial parks and the top 25 economic and technological development zones in the country.

Officials said the area has concentrated on ensuring stability on six fronts and security in six areas and has rolled out incentives and beneficial new policies for local enterprises and residents.

On the automatic assembly lines of its smart workshops, from nano-scale components to the key components in heavy equipment, it is moving products to all parts of the world.

In the construction site of a key new project, with the active cooperation of government departments and construction workers, high-rise buildings will be raised from the ground.

In the first three quarters of 2020, the GDP of the NETDA reached 48.56 billion yuan ($7.5 billion). From January to October in 2020, the added value of manufacturers above a designated size -- those with annual revenue of 20 million yuan or more -- increased by 6.6 percent, ranking it third in Nantong.

Officials said industrial electricity consumption was 4.485 billion kWh in the period, ranked first in the city. Foreign Direct Investment came in at $500 million, accounting for 21 percent of the total amount of the city. This represented an increase of 9.46 percent and was 12.8 percentage points higher than the average increase in the city.

Total foreign trade during the period was worth 37.48 billion yuan, ranking it second in Nantong. From January to November last year, the general budget revenue reached 5.76 billion yuan, an increase of 5.5 percent and the second biggest in the city. The tax paid by the area accounted for 87.6 percent of the municipal budget, ranking it first in the city.

Officials also reported further progress was made in the NETDA in terms of project construction last year.

Since October 2020, the area has signed contracts involving the establishment there of nine major projects, involving a total investment of 18.5 billion yuan.

Data showed that last year, 23 projects each with a total investment of more than 1 billion yuan were signed, involving a combined investment of 64 billion yuan. Of these, 12 projects were each worth more than 2 billion yuan, while there were two projects each involving 10 billion yuan and two projects at the 5 billion yuan level.

Accelerating pace of transformation, upgrading

Officials said that since 2018, the NETDA has attracted more than 40 top recruitment and training agencies to locate in the area. In particular, last year saw 24 projects conferred with the appellation Jianghai Talent of the City, attracting municipal-level funding of 28.5 million yuan.

To date, the NETDA has funded 212 innovation and entrepreneurship projects, recruited 13 experts from the "Hundred Talents Program" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and nearly 3,000 high-level innovative and entrepreneurial individuals.

Efforts made to improve quality of life of residents

As of Nov 22 last year, concentrations of PM2.5 heavy pollutants were 32 micrograms per cubic meter of air, down by 9.6 percent on the same period last year.

Many locals expressed their gratitude for the life-changing measures the NETDA introduced, officials said.

They said residents were particularly happy about more shops being located near residential buildings, more high-grade hospitals and street and community health services, as well as more kindergartens and primary schools being built -- and the promise of still better public transport infrastructure in the future.