Chongchuan district, the main urban area of Nantong, continues to make strong progress in its social and economic development. [Photo/WeChat account: chongchuanonline]

Chongchuan district, the main urban area of Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province, turned in a robust performance in its social and economic development last year.

Reporting regional GDP of 163 billion yuan ($25.8 billion), it had eight major economic indicators that ranked number one among Nantong's administrative regions.

In 2021, the district is understood to have focused on attracting investment and top-grade people. As a result, a total of 36 projects – receiving 500 million yuan in investment each – were signed up to settle there. To top it off, the district also introduced eight foreign-funded projects.

Chongchuan's efficient and effective government service is believed to be one of the main reasons why investors choose to settle down in the district. Over the past year, Chongchuan rolled out a slew of measures to optimize its business environment. The average time taken to approve major projects was cut to within 20 working days, with hundreds of service officers providing tailor-made services for the firms.

Sci-tech innovation is another key area that the district's government has focused on. Last year, Chongchuan took the initiative to establish the first district-level science and technology innovation committee in Jiangsu, releasing and implementing a new talent program. Furthermore, some 2.5 percent of its GDP was spent on research and development.

More efforts were also made to upgrade the urban environment and improve people's lives. In 2021, the per capita disposable income of residents in Chongchuan hit 61,137 yuan, up 9 percent from the previous year, growing faster than the GDP and general public budget revenue.