The first session of the 18th Rugao County People's Congress was held on Jan 11 in Rugao, a county-level city administered by Nantong in East China's Jiangsu province.

Wang Minghao, mayor of the city, delivered a report on the government's performance last year.

In the past year, the city saw robust economic growth. Its general public budget revenue reached 7.78 billion yuan ($1.22 billion), a year-on-year increase of 8 percent. The taxable sales of industrial industry above designated size hit 135 billion yuan, up 24 percent year-on-year. The taxable sales of the service industry reached 184.66 billion yuan. The total output value of the construction industry was 161 billion yuan.

Over the past five years, the per capita disposable income has grown at an average annual rate of 9.4 percent and the urban-rural income ratio has narrowed to 2.06:1.

The coverage of ecological watercourses has reached 40 percent over the past five years, and the city was granted the China Settlements and Environment Award in 2017. It is the highest honor in the field of living environment construction in China.

The report also released economic and social growth targets for 2022. A growth target of at least 7 percent was set for GDP, while the target for the general public budget revenue was a rise of 8.6 percent. The target for foreign investment in actual use was $360 million.

In addition, the city will continue to ramp up efforts to promote scientific and technological innovation, carry out industrial transformation, optimize public services and improve the natural environment.