Qidong in Nantong, Jiangsu province. [Photo/WeChat account: qidongfabu]

In the first quarter of this year, Qidong in Nantong reported a GDP growth of 7.3 percent, exceeding the national, provincial, and Nantong averages by 2 percent, 1.1 percent, and 0.1 percent respectively.

During this period, Qidong signed 31 industrial projects worth over 100 million yuan ($13.82 million) each and commenced construction on 56 manufacturing projects, each with equipment investments exceeding 20 million yuan. Additionally, 25 manufacturing projects with equipment investments over 8 million yuan were completed.

The first phase of Weihua's high-end intelligent port equipment project has already begun trial production with a substantial order backlog. The second phase commenced construction in January and is expected to have its workshop operational by June. Upon completion, the project will have an annual production capacity of 300 sets of port machinery and high-end offshore equipment, generating annual taxable sales revenue of 4 billion yuan.

According to company officials, the excellent services provided by the Qidong government have significantly contributed to the company's development.

In the second quarter, Qidong plans to start 28 new industrial projects with a total investment of 9.37 billion yuan. These projects span various sectors, including offshore engineering and heavy equipment, new energy, electronic information, and precision machinery.

Qidong aims to strengthen its focus on traditional advantageous industries such as power tools and mechanical equipment while prioritizing the development of sectors like biomedicine and marine engineering.