Nantong's comprehensive strength continues to rise in 2021-25

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

Nantong in Jiangsu province has demonstrated significant economic growth during the first four years of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), with its GDP increasing at an average annual rate of 5.4 percent, according to a recent press conference.

In 2024, the city's GDP reached 1.24 trillion yuan ($175.32 billion), marking an annual growth rate of 6.2 percent. All seven counties and districts in the city reported GDPs exceeding 140 billion yuan, placing them among the top in the country.

Over the past five years, Nantong has enhanced strategic cooperation with cities such as Shanghai and those in southern Jiangsu, especially improving joint operations with Shanghai's ports and airports. In 2024, the city's gross ocean product reached 260.6 billion yuan, making up over a quarter of the province's total.

Nantong has persistently advanced its "Year of Business Environment Enhancement" campaign, rolling out and enhancing various measures to improve the business climate for four consecutive years. The city has intensified reforms to "efficiently complete one task" and upgraded the functions of "Huiqitong", a platform offering comprehensive, one-stop services for enterprises, maintaining a leading position in the province's business environment rankings.

In its commitment to green development, Nantong is accelerating the construction of (near) zero-carbon industrial parks, (near) zero-carbon manufacturing plants, smart microgrids, and pilot virtual power plant projects. The city's installed capacity for renewable energy power generation stands at about 17.24 million kilowatts, making it second in the province. Nantong has established the country's first wind power mother port, the largest offshore wind farm in Asia, and the nation's first offshore wind farm utilizing flexible direct current transmission technology – the Three Gorges Rudong 800,000-kW offshore wind project.

Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan, Nantong has created 536,000 new jobs. The city has built 103 high-quality compulsory education schools, enabling more children to access quality educational resources nearby. Additionally, the per capita disposable income of residents in the city has reached 54,641 yuan, increasing in line with its GDP growth.