Busy Nantong Port. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Jiangsu province's Nantong city expressed its determination to establish itself as a renowned modern industrial city in China, as reported by local media outlets on Jan 10.

Industry has consistently functioned as a robust driver and pillar supporting the city's high-quality development, with the contribution rate of the industrial sector to GDP growth exceeding 50 percent.

The city's industrial clusters and key projects serve as a solid foundation for its prosperous industrial development. In the first 11 months of last year, the output value of the six industrial clusters, each valued at 100 billion yuan ($13.95 billion), jumped 10.5 percent year-on-year. Additionally, in the first quarter of this year, construction is expected to commence on 148 projects with a combined investment of 81.2 billion yuan.

Nantong's industrial development is further propelled by innovation and digital transformation, elevating it to new heights. The city is intensifying efforts to promote the integration of industrial chains and innovation, as well as accelerate the development of core technologies. Digital transformation in the city's manufacturing industry has yielded fruitful results, including the addition of seven national intelligent manufacturing projects and 35 provincial intelligent manufacturing factories and workshops.

Effectively fostering and serving businesses is key to sustaining a long-standing industrial economy in Nantong. In 2023, 64 Nantong enterprises were recognized as national "little giants", bringing the total number to 125. One company also made the list of national enterprise technology centers. Meanwhile, local authorities also rolled out multiple measures to create a favorable business environment and launched online business service platform to streamline administrative examination and approval, as well as offer interpretation of the latest business policies.