Nantong government officials, headed by Xu Huimin, the city’s mayor, meet with the delegation from Japan’s Mizuho Bank on May 23. [Photo/ntjoy.com]

Xu Huimin, mayor of Nantong, East China’s Jiangsu province, met with a delegation from Japan’s Mizuho Bank on May 23.

During the meeting, he briefed the delegation on the city’s current state of economic and social development, highlighting Nantong’s surging foreign trade, advanced transportation network, and strategic development plans.

He also noted that Japan is an important trade partner for Nantong and it currently is home to 527 Japanese companies.

He encouraged the bank to set up a branch in the city so it can provide more high-quality services to local Japanese companies.

Mizuho Bank is the second largest bank in Japan and currently has 15 branches on the Chinese mainland, none of which are located in Nantong.

The bank plans to partner with the city due to its geographical advantages and fast economic growth, according to a senior executive with the delegation.

Nantong has proved to be attractive to Japanese companies and we intend to cooperate with the local government to better serve local Japanese companies, he said.