Construction began on a total of 40 major projects in Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, on Feb 24. 

The projects are expected to attract a total of 45 billion yuan ($6.41 billion) in investment. Two of the projects are estimated to receive more than 10 billion yuan each in new materials and wind power investment, while 12 others are expected to receive over 1 billion yuan each in such investment.

The 40 projects are related to industry, services, city construction, and public utilities, and among the industrial projects, most involve the manufacturing industry. Many of the projects serve as new drivers of growth for Qidong's leading industries.

About 70 percent of investors in the projects are from Shanghai, and they will all operate in major industrial parks in Qidong.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Wang Xiaobin, secretary of the Qidong branch of the Party committee, announced that the county-level city aims to make breakthroughs in its major project this year and lead Nantong in the development of deep cooperative relations with Shanghai.