An aerial view of Changjiang town in Rugao [Photo/WeChat account: rugaofabu]

Changjiang town in Rugao, Nantong ranked 64th among China's top 100 towns in terms of comprehensive competitiveness, according to a report published in Beijing on Sept 8.

The report was released by the China Economic Herald, information technology development institute of the China Information Industry Association, Beijing Zhongxin Institute of City Planning and Design and a Beijing-based think tank for competitiveness.

The research team evaluated the economic scale, dynamism of economic growth, and average wealth of local residents in towns across the country and minimized the influence of regional gross domestic product in the ranking, aiming to promote balanced and high-quality development in towns.

Changjiang town, located on the northern banks of the Yangtze River, covers a planned area of 204 square kilometers and has a population of 200,000. It is home to a national category-1 port, national-level shipping center and a group of provincial-level industrial parks.

It boasts a convenient transportation network, with the newly-built Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge just a five-minute drive away and a high-speed railway station just 3 km away.

The town's one-hour economic circle incorporates seven international airports, including those in Nantong, Shanghai, Wuxi, Changzhou and Yancheng.

Intelligent equipment manufacturing, high-end new materials, and modern logistics have served as major forces of economic growth in the town. 

Singaporean resources conglomerate Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) Group announced on June 18 that it will invest more than 40 billion yuan ($5.8 billion) into the construction of an industrial cluster in the town.