Wu Xinming (R), mayor of Nantong, meets with Zhang Wei, managing director of Merck China Healthcare, on March 24. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Wu Xinming, mayor of Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province, met with Zhang Wei, managing director of Merck China Healthcare, in Nantong on March 24 to explore further cooperation.

Merck Group, a topnotch technology company, leads the world in life science, healthcare and electronics, and its base in Nantong has become the group's second largest pharmaceutical production center in the world.

Wu briefed Zhang on Nantong's economic and social development, saying that the city has robust development momentum and unlimited potential.

With the implementation of Yangtze River Delta integration and other national strategies, Nantong has entered a new Golden Age, and its connection with Shanghai and southern Jiangsu cities has grown closer than ever, noted the mayor.

He added that biological medicine is the key emerging industry in Nantong and that Merck Group boasts a solid cooperation foundation with Nantong.

Wu expressed hope that the group will participate in the development of industrial, supply, and innovation chains in the city, bring in more high-quality projects, and produce more pharmaceutical products in Nantong.

The mayor also promised to support Merck Group's development in the city.

Zhang thanked Nantong for its support and assistance and said that Merck Group's Nantong base has developed well, boosting the group's confidence in the city.

Merck Group plans to actively participate in the development of Nantong's biological medicine industry and make further contributions to the city's economic and social development, she added.