Port logistics is important to the economic development of Hai'an, Nantong in Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: hafabu]

Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province will advocate for the development of Hai'an into an important land port city in the Yangtze River Delta and a national logistics hub, according to the 13th Nantong Municipal Congress of the Communist Party of China held on Sept 26-28.

With the support, Yu Lizhong, Party secretary of Hai'an, expressed belief that in the next five years, Hai'an will be fully capable of building itself into a comprehensive transportation hub with a complete layout and high coordination and efficiency, as well as a regional logistics hub supported by a seamless network of roads, railways, and waterways, an integrated development hub for transportation, industry, and city, and a modern information hub based on interconnection and digital sharing.

Yu said in an interview that to stand out in regional competition, Hai'an should take full advantage of its rails, ports, roads, and industries, and leverage its various platform functions.

Yu put a particular emphasis on the regular operation of the China-Europe freight train that links Hai'an with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), calling for efforts to incorporate it into the provincial "4+1" international train operation system.

He also attached importance to the cultivation of emerging business formats, including the hub, headquarters, and digital economy, and to the expansion of the modern service sector.