Wu Xinming, Party secretary of Nantong, meets with Allan Gabor, president of Merck China, on June 2. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Wu Xinming, Party secretary of Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province, met with Allan Gabor, president of Merck China, on June 2, local media outlets reported.

Wu thanked Merck for its long-term contributions to the city's economic and social development.

He said that Nantong has maintained robust economic development momentum since this year and is ushering in a new round of golden opportunities for development with accelerated construction of major traffic projects.

Biological medicine is a competitive industry that Nantong strives to develop while Merck is an "old friend" of the city, noted Wu.

He added that the two sides have a strong cooperation foundation and hopes that Merck will lay out new production lines and develop new products in Nantong.

Wu also pledged to spare no efforts to support the investment and development of Merck in Nantong.

Gabor thanked Nantong for its years of support, saying that Nantong has a solid industrial foundation and a sound business environment, which boosts Merck's long-term development in the city.

He noted that the investment of Merck in Nantong accounts for more than half of its investment in China and that Merck is optimistic about Nantong's development potential and will participate in the development of emerging industries in the city including biological medicine.