Fruitful results from opening-up policies

Nantong was one of the first 14 coastal cities in China to open up to the world, and its export-oriented economy continues to develop and score new achievements.

The city's international trade has grown by leaps and bounds, with its import and export volume with trade partners from 206 countries and regions reaching 366.53 billion yuan ($53.20 billion) in 2022, ranking 4th in Jiangsu.

The first Sino-foreign joint venture in Jiangsu was built in 1981 in the city, which is currently home to more than 3,400 foreign-invested enterprises and boasts a cumulative actual utilization of foreign investment of more than $40 billion.

Nantong is reputed as the "hometown of overseas Chinese" as there are more than 100,000 Chinese businessmen from the city located afar due to full-swing labor export, international projects, and overseas investment.

In addition, the city is home to five first-tier open ports, six national open platforms, 13 provincial-level development zones, 14 cross-river and cross-border cooperation parks, and 16 provincial-level special industrial parks.

Robust consumption

Consumption is one of the three driving forces of economic growth. In 2022, the per capita disposable income of urban residents in Nantong was 59,605 yuan, and that of rural residents was 30,819 yuan.

The total retail sales of consumer goods in the city registered an average annual growth rate of 15.08 percent to 395.69 billion yuan in 2022, 483.17 times that of 1978.

The city has transitioned from being poverty-stricken to subsistence-oriented and finally being well-off, as evidenced by an increased number of private cars, an active real estate market and diversified consumer demands.

New consumption patterns, including online and offline retail businesses such as department stores, supermarkets, chain stores, and franchised stores, have flourished in the city.

Convenient transportation

In 1989, Nantong became the first city in northern Jiangsu province to have highways connecting each village. By 2021, the city had 17,526 kilometers of highways, including 488 kilometers of expressways.

As the Yangtze River flows to the south of Nantong, the city had been caught in the predicament of no transportation in the south for a long time.

With the Sutong Yangtze River Bridge, the Chongqi Bridge, and the Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge being completed, it is now possible for Nantong residents to travel southwards.

Currently, Nantong has two railways running from east to west and north to south and by the end of 2021 the city was home to 428 km of railways.

Nantong Xingdong International Airport, the first civil airport in Jiangsu, was opened to traffic in 1993. In 2021, it operated 76 passenger and cargo routes, with passenger throughput exceeding 2.5 million and cargo throughput reaching 53,000 metric tons.

Nantong was the sixth city in Jiangsu to be approved for a subway. Line one was opened to traffic in 2022, and line two will operate in 2023.

Nantong Port witnessed a cargo throughput of 309 million tons and a container throughput of 2.03 million TEUs in 2021.

Editor-in-chief: Yu Lei

Editor: Wang Yun

Photo by Gu Yao

Translated by Wang Haifei from the Shanghai Waiyuan Translation Agency