Xu Huimin, secretary of the CPC Nantong municipal committee, presents Loh Tuck Wai, consul general of Singapore in Shanghai, with a gift to mark the friendship between the two sides at a meeting in Nantong on May 11. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Xu Huimin, secretary of the Communist Party of China Nantong municipal committee, met with Loh Tuck Wai, consul general of Singapore in Shanghai, on May 11 in Nantong.

At the meeting, Xu briefed Loh on the city's economic development, cooperation with Singapore, and its efforts to fight the novel coronavirus outbreak.

He said Nantong has made the most of opportunities brought about by the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, with construction being accelerated on strategic projects, including the Shanghai-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge, Tongzhou Bay demonstration area and Nantong's new airport.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the local government and Party committee have been enacting measures to ensure the health of the public and reduce the pandemic's impact on economic and social development. The city's economic growth ranked second in Jiangsu province in the first quarter of 2020.

According to Xu, economic cooperation between Nantong and Singapore has produced fruitful results over the past few years. And Nantong is looking forward to more bilateral exchange in investment, sci-tech and education.

Loh echoed Xu, stating that Nantong boasts strong development potential. He said Singapore enjoys distinct advantages in airport and port construction, logistics, and higher education, which make it a valuable partner to Nantong's future development.

Loh expressed belief that there is ample room to expand bilateral cooperation and promised that the consulate general will strive to facilitate communication between the two sides.