A bird's-eye view of Nantong. [Photo provided to en.nantong.gov.cn]

Nantong in Jiangsu province has been shortlisted for the third batch of pilot cities for new-type technological transformation in manufacturing, as announced by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the Ministry of Finance on May 20.

This selection not only recognizes Nantong's technological transformation achievements in the manufacturing sector but also presents a significant opportunity for the city to accelerate its transition from "traditional manufacturing" to "high-end intelligent manufacturing".

The national initiative aims to leverage central financial resources to support pilot cities in organizing demonstration projects. The objective is to vigorously promote technological transformations, including intelligent and digital transformation, and network integration, to elevate the manufacturing sector toward high-end, intelligent, and environmentally friendly practices.

As one of the birthplaces of modern national industry in China, Nantong has developed six major industrial clusters, housed nearly 7,500 industrial enterprises above designated size, and achieved an output value of 1.5 trillion yuan ($220.52 billion) last year. In 2025, the growth rate of industrial technological transformation investment in the city led the province.

Nantong plans to use this pilot program as a springboard to expand applications of artificial intelligence, develop public computing power and industrial internet platforms, and provide low-cost, inclusive services for enterprises. This is set to drive the integrated transformation and collaborative upgrading of enterprises of all sizes.