A bird's-eye view of Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province [Photo/VCG]

Nantong, a city in East China's Jiangsu province, will merge Gangzha district with Chongchuan district, and change the county-level city of Haimen into a district, according to a notice recently issued by the provincial government.

The adjustments are meant to inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the coastal city and help accelerate its integration into the Shanghai metropolitan circle, according to experts.

After the adjustments, the city will have an urban area of 2,460 square kilometers and its permanent population will increase to 3.28 million, compared to the current 1.16 million.

"This will greatly improve the city's urban and economic primacy ratio, allowing the government to  plan the urban layout, production elements, industries, infrastructure construction, and the utilization of public resources in a more scientific manner," said Ji Jianlin, professor at the Party School of the Nantong Committee of the CPC.

The new airport in Nantong, as part of the Shanghai international air transportation hub, is located between Tongzhou district and Haimen. 

"Including Haimen as part of the urban area will help the city build major infrastructure that benefits the Yangtze River Delta region," said Professor Song Linfei, an adviser for the provincial government.

Song also said that Haimen is geographically near Shanghai, and can help Nantong strengthen ties with the international metropolis. Developing Haimen's home textile and sci-tech industries at the municipal level will also help promote industrial cooperation between Nantong and Shanghai.