Haimen district in Nantong reported a year-on-year growth of 13 percent in taxable industrial sales in the first quarter of this year, with the total amount reaching 35.73 billion yuan ($5.53 billion), local media outlets reported.

Officials said that Haimen has been working to enhance development standards since it was transformed from a county-level city to a district of Nantong in July 2020 to pursue higher-quality growth.

A series of measures have been introduced to accelerate the district's coordinated development with the downtown area of Nantong and its integration into Shanghai and the southern part of Jiangsu province.

The district is currently promoting the construction of new bridges over the Yangtze River to upgrade its transport network, making it a comprehensive transportation hub linking Shanghai, Suzhou, and Nantong.

In addition, Haimen has also set up liaison offices in Shanghai and southern Jiangsu province to attract investment. A total of 17 industrial projects worth 100 million yuan each were discussed during Q1.

The district has established sister-city ties with Jiangyin in Wuxi, Taicang in Suzhou, and Chongming in Shanghai to facilitate exchange in industrial development, urban and rural construction, culture and tourism, education and healthcare, environmental protection, and the training of high-caliber workers.

Haimen will also take advantage of its 61-kilometer shoreline along the Yangtze River and 25-km shoreline along the Yellow Sea to build a waterfront scientific and technological innovation belt.

Focus will be placed on eight industrial chains involving the circular economy, environmentally friendly architecture, high-end shipbuilding, and marine engineering, industrial robots, modern home textiles, fine steel, life and health, and digital communications, making the waterfront area a hotbed for investment.