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Integrated and high-quality development was achieved in the demonstration zone for integrated ecological and green development in the Yangtze River Delta region, which was launched five years ago, according to official sources.

"Being the pioneer of the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, the demonstration zone has carried out 180 major projects and reported 154 institutional innovation achievements, with 48 having been duplicated and promoted nationwide since November 2019," said Gu Jun, director of Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission during a news conference on Wednesday.

Comprising the Qingpu district of Shanghai, Wujiang district of Suzhou, Jiangsu province, and Jiashan county of Jiaxing, Zhejiang province, the demonstration zone was tasked to better facilitate the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, which was elevated as a national strategy six years ago.

In 2023, the combined GDP of the demonstration zone reached 472.5 billion yuan ($64.74 billion), and its total industrial output by entities above a designated size (20 million yuan in main business revenue) amounted to 872.9 billion yuan, a growth of 5.94 percent and 8.19 percent, respectively, from that of 2019.

The zone's R&D spending intensity, or the expenditure on R&D as a percentage of its gross domestic product, has outpaced the average of the Yangtze River Delta region to reach 4.2 percent, Gu said, adding that there are 3,319 national high-tech enterprises in the area.

Such achievements are attributed to the area's focus on integrated development, continuously deepened reform and innovation, and constantly enhanced effects as a demonstration area, explained Gu.