As the mainstay for the city's economy, Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area, or NETDA, in Jiangsu province, is striving to develop new productive forces by revitalizing traditional industries, bolstering emerging industries, and strategically positioning future industries to build a first-class development zone in the Yangtze River Delta region.

GalaxySpace, China's private satellite producer based in the development area, is one of the companies making efforts to achieve the goal. As a leading enterprise in China's commercial aerospace and satellite internet sectors, the company started its business in the development area in 2020. Its smart factory has achieved an annual capacity to develop 100 to 150 satellites, reducing its production cycle by 80 percent compared to traditional satellite manufacturing methods.

While accelerating the development of future industries, Nantong is also working towards the continuous transformation and enhancement of traditional industries. Nantong Yusheng Intelligent Equipment Co, a leading player in the domestic liquor manufacturing equipment industry based in the development area, recently formed a joint innovation center with the Jiangsu Zhongke Institute of Applied Research on Intelligent Science and Technology.

The collaboration aims to promote the widespread application of new technologies such as sensors, big data, artificial intelligence and energy storage in the liquor industry.

This year, the development area will leverage the construction of the New Era Future Industry Park to conduct in-depth research on future industries, including hydrogen energy storage, cutting-edge new materials, third-generation semiconductors, and more.