[Editor's Note]

Promoting the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta is a major national strategy personally planned, deployed

Over the past year, what new achievements have been made in the integration of the Yangtze River Delta? ThePaper (www.thepaper.cn) has visited various \integration landmarks\ in the Yangtze River Delta region, delving into the vivid practices of localities closely following the two keywords of \integration\ and \high quality\ to promote the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta.

Hu-Su Dafeng Industrial Linkage and Agglomeration Zone. Provided by the Propaganda Department of Yancheng City.

In June 2024, the member cities of the Shanghai metropolitan area expanded from \1+8\ to \1+13\, with Yancheng, Jiangsu, prominently listed, successfully realizing the dream of \joining the group\. As the 2.0 version of Shanghai's \flying land\, the first provincial-level cooperation and joint construction park between Shanghai and Suzhou - the Shanghai-Suzhou Dafeng Industrial Linkage Agglomeration Area, located in Dafeng, Yancheng, will be how to stand on a new starting point to grow against the wind and climb to new heights, which has attracted much attention.

On May 30th, on the eve of the 2025 Yangtze River Delta region's main leadership symposium, The Paper entered the Shanghai-Jiangsu Dafeng Industrial Linkage Agglomeration Zone and learned that, in order to better integrate into the Shanghai metropolitan circle, the Shanghai-Jiangsu Dafeng Industrial Linkage Agglomeration Zone will strive to build itself into a demonstration area for the \flying economy\ of the Yangtze River Delta integration and the North Shanghai · Lingang Eco-Intelligent Manufacturing City through measures such as strengthening planning coordination, improving infrastructure, enhancing project attraction efforts, and scientific and technological innovation collaboration.

Yancheng is geographically close to Shanghai, has close interpersonal relationships, and shares economic integration. More than half a century ago, 100,000 educated youths set out from Shanghai and settled in Yancheng Dafeng to build farms. As a result, the Dafeng Shanghai Farm, the largest \enclave\ outside Shanghai's jurisdiction, has become a bridge for the integration and interaction between the two cities. In recent years, on this \enclave\ of Shanghai, the first provincial-level government cooperation park between Shanghai and Jiangsu has grown rapidly – the Shanghai-Jiangsu Dafeng Industrial Linkage Agglomeration Zone.

The Shanghai-Jiangsu Dafeng Industrial Linkage Agglomeration Zone was jointly established by the Shanghai Municipal Government and Jiangsu Provincial Government in November 2015, with a planned area of 33 square kilometers and an existing development area of 4 square kilometers, focusing on the development of new energy, new infrastructure, and new agriculture, as well as leading emerging industries. The agglomeration zone has been included in the \Yangtze River Delta Regional Integration Development Plan Outline\ and the implementation plans of Shanghai and Jiangsu, and has been awarded the \Yangtze River Delta Joint Provincial Industrial Cooperation Demonstration Park\.

The Paper has learned that the development trend of the gathering area is getting better day by day. Since the \14th Five-Year Plan,\ the annual growth rate of industrial ticket sales has been 43.4%, the annual growth rate of the output value of large-scale industry has been 108.5%, the annual growth rate of tax revenue has been 30.1%, and the annual growth rate of foreign trade import and export has been 36.1%.

Additionally, the cluster adheres to the working pattern of \removing walls and boundaries,\ actively seeking to resonate with local development. Among them, the Chint New Energy Yancheng base, which is located in the cluster, is the first manufacturing project invested in Jiangsu by the cooperation of Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai. It was completed and put into production in February 2021 and obtained zero-carbon factory certification in 2023. Last year, the base achieved a production value of 6.2 billion yuan, invoiced sales of 9.2 billion yuan, and taxes exceeded 95 million yuan.

In late March this year, Gong Zheng, Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Municipal Committee and Mayor of Shanghai, went to Yancheng to investigate the Shanghai overseas farms and visited the Shanghai-Jiangsu Dafeng Industrial Linkage Agglomeration Zone. According to the report by Shanghai Observer, Gong Zheng inspected the planning exhibition hall of the agglomeration zone, listened to the overall situation introduction of the park, and entered the Yancheng Chint New Energy Company within the agglomeration zone for inspection. He said that it is necessary to explore and innovate cooperation mechanisms, continuously improve the quality and efficiency of regional cooperation, link with surrounding areas, and promote the implementation of industrial projects.

Settled in the agglomeration area, the Chint New Energy Yancheng base. The Paper reporter Qiu Haihong, photo

Through the close connection of \enclaves,\ the relationship between Yancheng and Shanghai is becoming increasingly close. In 2018, the integration of the Yangtze River Delta was elevated to a national strategy. As one of the 27 central cities in the Yangtze River Delta, Yancheng clearly proposed \connecting with the Greater Shanghai and integrating into the Yangtze River Delta.\

Currently, Yancheng has established friendly urban districts with Changning, Xuhui, Putuo, and others in Shanghai, and has cooperated with Caohejing Development Zone, Jiading Industrial Zone, and others to establish 11 joint development zones, accounting for one-third of Shanghai's external cooperation zones, achieving full coverage of counties. Last year, the overall plan for the land space of the Shanghai metropolitan area was expanded, and Yancheng successfully joined this largest and most luxurious metropolitan circle in the Yangtze River Delta.

Today's Yancheng is actively seizing the strategic opportunities of the Yangtze River Delta integration, taking the initiative to serve and integrate into the Shanghai metropolitan area, and has established a new urban positioning - striving to create a new space for industrial development in the Yangtze River Delta, a large base for security and supply, and a large garden for ecological leisure.

As a pioneer area for the development of \flying territory economy\ in Yancheng, the Shanghai-Jiangsu Dafeng Industrial Linkage Agglomeration Zone, facing new development opportunities, is striving to promote the park to achieve a new leap.

When it comes to specific paths, Chen Xiaolong, the director of the Development and Reform Commission of Dafeng District, introduced to The Paper, first, strengthen the coordination with the planning of the metropolitan circle, connect with the planning of the Shanghai metropolitan circle and related special plans, and play the strategic guiding role of planning for the development of \flying geographies\; secondly, adhere to the priority of infrastructure, strengthen cooperation between both parties, and jointly improve the supporting facilities of the gathering area; again, enhance the supporting role of projects, cooperate with important sectors of Shanghai, and attract major projects; fourth, enhance the new momentum of scientific innovation, promote the continuous efforts in platform construction and project attraction, and enhance the scientific and technological innovation vitality of the gathering area.