An offshore wind power farm in Nantong. [Photo/Nantong Daily]

Adjoining the Yangtze River and Huanghai Sea, Nantong in Jiangsu province is blessed with natural advantages in developing the marine economy, which has become a backbone of the city's economy.

In 2023, the gross output value of the marine economy in Nantong amounted to 250 billion yuan ($34.51 billion), accounting for about one fourth of the provincial total.

In the same year, Nantong shifted the development focus in coastal areas to the marine industry. By 2025, the city is expected to be home to at least 10 marine industrial parks, 10 high-end innovation platforms and 20 high-quality leading enterprises in the marine industry. The added value of the city's marine industry is expected to exceed 204 billion yuan by 2030.

Leading marine enterprises have driven the formation of industrial clusters, and Nantong has focused on the building of three major shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment industrial parks in Qidong, Rugao, and Haimen, respectively. Due to their leading companies, the industrial parks have attracted hundreds of upstream and downstream businesses, which specialize in different subdivisions of the industrial chain.

The development of Yangkou Port, Haimen Port, Tongzhou Bay, and Lyusi Port is also key to the city's marine economy, as these ports will greatly stimulate its marine industry.

With blue energy becoming a major emerging player in the marine economy, Nantong has also taken the opportunity to tap offshore wind power and photovoltaic power. The city has maintained robust momentum in wind power, photovoltaic power, hydrogen energy, energy storage, and liquefied natural gas.

In 2023, the output value of new energy industries in Nantong reached nearly 130 billion yuan, and by 2025, the figure is expected to exceed 150 billion yuan.