Chongchuan district is going from strength to strength. [Video/Chongchuan Integrated Media Center]

The first session of the second Chongchuan District People's Congress was held on Jan 11, with Yang Wanping, acting head of Chongchuan district – located in Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province – delivering a report on the district government's performance in 2021.

The event was held at the Nantong International Convention Center and the report reviewed five aspects of the current government's work – the transformation and upgrading of industries, attracting investment, urban renewal, improvements to the environment and to the life quality and living standard of its residents.

Over the past year, the Chongchuan government enjoyed robust economic growths. The regional GDP is estimated to have hit 160 billion yuan ($25.14 billion), with the general public budget revenue reaching 12.6 billion yuan and total retail sales of consumer goods at 65 billion yuan.

In 2021, Chongchuan held 24 investment roadshows and promotion activities in major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Thirty-two major projects – each costing 1 billion yuan and above – were signed up to settle in the district, with total investment valued at 44 billion yuan. With 13 foreign-funded industrial projects moving in, actual foreign investment the district received last year came to $478 million.

In a bid to provide a better business environment for companies to settle in the district, Chongchuan strengthened cooperation between municipal departments, cutting the average administrative approval time for major projects to 20 working days or less.

Last year, Chongchuan had capital expenditure of 10.18 billion yuan and it finished off 97 key initiatives designed to improve the living conditions for locals.

The economic growth targets for 2022 were also announced at the conference. A regional GDP growth target of over 7.5 percent and a general public budget revenue growth target of over 6 percent were set. In addition, annual investment in research and development is projected to account for at least 2.8 percent of GDP.

Yang predicted that retail sales of consumer goods would rise by 8 percent, fixed-asset investment would increase by at least 6 percent and the per capita disposable income of urban residents would keep pace with the economic growth.

Projections are that the urban registered unemployment rate will remain under 3 percent.