A worker is seen working in a factory in Rudong, East China's Jiangsu province. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

An aerial view of the PetroChina Jiangsu LNG Terminal at Yangkou port in Rudong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Rudong, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, has achieved the steady development of its open economy over the past decade.

Port construction is the foundation of an open economy. In 2021, the total LNG received and unloaded by PetroChina Jiangsu LNG Terminal at Yangkou port was over seven million metric tons – the most in history.

Due to the rapid development of ports, Rudong's imports and exports in 2021 have exceeded 20 billion yuan ($2.77 billion) since the beginning of this year.

In the past decade, Rudong has introduced many projects funded by international enterprises.

For example, Sinarmas Paper (China) Investment Co Ltd, the key foreign investment project introduced in the county, has developed into the biggest papermaking enterprise in China.

In 2021, the country introduced a total of 330 foreign-invested enterprises, with a combined $9.53 billion in investment. Among them, two projects are funded by global top 500 enterprises.

The county has also made strides in investment abroad. To date, 20 enterprises in the county have invested in 46 projects in foreign countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, with China's total investment exceeding $320 million.

For example, Zhongtian Technology Co Ltd has invested and built factories in India, Indonesia, Brazil and Columbia.

The county has also launched policies to provide financial support to local enterprises that have made great contributions to the county's imports and exports.

In 2020, Rudong's financial fund for stabilizing foreign trade reached 11 million yuan and that used to reward scientific and technological innovation reached 250 million yuan.