Nantong leverages coastal resources to pursue high-quality development

Offshore wind farm in Nantong. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The coast is key for Nantong, Jiangsu province, in realizing its goal of having a 2 trillion yuan ($274.04 billion) GDP and developing new quality productive forces.

The statement was made at the recent work promotion meeting on developing Nantong into a strong maritime city held by local authorities.

Nantong has a long history of developing ocean-based industries. According to records from the Nantong Historical Chronicles website, from the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24) to the Sui Dynasty (581-618), the Nantong region gradually formed an industrial system centered around salt and fisheries.

By the end of 2023, Nantong had achieved a total marine industry output of 248.71 billion yuan, accounting for one-fourth of the province's total. Nevertheless, the ocean remains a resource that has not been fully explored.

The meeting proposed building three major coastal industries - marine equipment, advanced materials, and new energy, while also developing two supporting industries - shipping logistics and marine information and technology services. Additionally, efforts will be made to transform the marine fisheries and marine tourism industries.

Ports are important hubs connecting ocean and land and are crucial engines driving local economic development. Zhu Yuqiang, president of the Port of Nantong, stated that they will strengthen the core business of the port, support the construction of the Shanghai International Shipping Center, and strive to become a leading port in accelerating the development of water transportation in Jiangsu.

Innovation is a core element for developing new quality productive forces in the marine industry. In September, Wison New Energy launched the second-generation floating liquefied natural gas device, which reduces carbon emissions by about 35 percent compared to the first-generation solution. Shen Jianrong, general manager of the company's Nantong base, stated that they will actively integrate into the overall marine sci-tech innovation ecosystem in Nantong, deepen cooperation with research institutes and universities, establish a seamless "industry-academia-research-application" chain, and support the high-quality development of Nantong's shipbuilding and marine engineering industry.