The rendering of Zenith Steel Group's plant in Nantong [Photo/China Daily]

The city of Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province is making strides in improving its infrastructure and progress in high-quality development, according to the local government.

In February, the Jiangsu provincial government issued a guideline on investment in major projects for 2020. A new airport in the city and the Shanghai-Hefei section of the Shanghai-Chengdu railway are included on a list of 240 projects.

Nantong has established a command for construction of the airport and has been working on preparation, local officials said.

In January, the city announced the construction of the Tongzhou Bay as a new deep-water channel in Jiangsu.

It has incorporated Yangkou, Haimen and Lyusi ports into the bay project.

The city plans to promote its coastal ports planning and river-sea coordinated development in Tongzhou Bay.

It aims to complete construction of the bay in one year, have it operating in two years and put it into volume production in three years.

Located in the eastern coastal area of Tongzhou, the Tongzhou Bay is an ideal destination to build a deep-water port in Jiangsu province, which can help the province improve its port capacity, local officials said.

The deep-water coastline of the Tongzhou Bay port area is 37.3 kilometers with 30 berths which can accommodate 50,000-metric-ton vessels, and 86 berths capable of handling vessels with a tonnage of over 100,000.

With the new deep-water channel under construction, Nantong will become a new pillar of growth for Jiangsu, Lou Qinjian, Party secretary of Jiangsu province, said during a recent promotional event.

In 2019, Nantong's GDP reached 938.3 billion yuan ($132 billion), an increase of 6.2 percent year-on-year.

The public budget revenue was 61.93 billion yuan and its industrial taxable sales growth ranked second in the province, official data showed.

Xu Huimin, Party secretary of Nantong, said the city had confirmed its overall development plan to integrate more into the southern part of Jiangsu province, connect to Shanghai and promote high-quality development.

The city should develop with an open mind to integrate into the southern Jiangsu in fields such as cross-river channels and industrial development to realize coordinated development, Xu noted

To realize this year's economic goal to top 1 trillion yuan and to ensure a high-level moderately prosperous society, Nantong requires more accurate policies aimed at addressing its shortcomings, Xu said.

Nantong is currently in a phrase of accelerated industrial development, he added.

The city faces opportunities brought by national strategies such as the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta and the Yangtze River Economic Belt, he said, adding that Nantong should aggregate production and improve quality.

Xu called for attracting more industrial investment and developing advanced manufacturing clusters focusing on industries such as the marine industry, high-end textiles and new-generation information technology.

Lou, highlighted Nantong during his overseas promotion of the province in Japan last year.