Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, at night [Photo/ WeChat account: rugaofabu]

The regional GDP of Rugao, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, is estimated to have reached 122.1 billion yuan ($17.58 billion) in 2019, up 7 percent year on year, according to a work report shared during a government conference on Jan 4.

The public budget revenue of the city reached 7 billion yuan, industrial sales totaled 164 billion yuan, up 15 percent year on year, and fixed-asset investment and total retail sales of consumer goods increased 8 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively.

Imports and exports were valued at 24.38 billion yuan, while container throughput exceeded 400,000 twenty-foot container equivalent units (TEU). 

A total of 87 high-tech companies started operating in the city over the past year, with the output value of high-tech industries accounting for 38 percent of the city's total industrial output.

The city also created more than 12,000 jobs in 2019, and per capita disposable incomes of urban and rural residents grew 8.4 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively.

A total of 118 industrial projects, each with more than 100 million yuan in investment, were launched in the city, including 19 with more than 1 billion yuan in investment.

In 2019, the local government spent more than 800 million yuan on infrastructure construction, including renovations of roads and bridges, landscaping projects, and improvements to water and air quality.

The work report also specified goals for 2020, including attracting more investment in industrial projects, pursuing rural rejuvenation, strengthening environmental protection and management, and improving social governance and living standards.