Rudong county made remarkable achievements in the just concluded 13th Five Year Plan (2016-20). [Photo/WeChat account: rudongfb]

In the past 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), Rudong county, administered by Nantong city in East China's Jiangsu province, withstood various pressures and achieved remarkable results, with sharply rising comprehensive strength, optimized industrial structure and quality economic growth.

In 2020, the county's economic aggregate was 115.5 billion yuan ($17.8 billion), 1.6 times that of 2015. In 2019, the figure made a historic leap, exceeding 100 billion yuan for the first time.

Against the backdrop of economic de-globalization and the COVID-19 pandemic, Rudong county laid equal emphasis on epidemic prevention and economic and social development, achieving stable development.

Investment, consumption and exports contributed to the booming economy of the county. In the 13th Five-Year Plan, the average annual growth rate of fixed-asset investment hit 9.4 percent. In the past year, fixed-asset investment grew by 10.3 percent, industrial investment was up by 13 percent, the service industry jumped by 5.5 percent and the high-tech industry surged ahead by 13 percent.

Facing the challenge brought about by the epidemic, the county's consumer market gradually recovered, and growth finally turned from negative to positive in December. The import-export volume of 2020 touched 39.53 billion yuan, up by 4.7 percent year-on-year, according to official data.

The current year is an important period for Rudong to realize its challenging development goals – GDP up by 7 percent, general public budget revenue up by at least 5.8 percent, fixed-asset investment up by 10 percent, retail sales of consumer goods up by at least 6 percent and import-export volume up by 4 percent; if the county's performance in the last Five-Year Plan is an indication those goals may well be met.