Progress momentum escalates in Yangtze Delta ecology zone

Progress on the Yangtze River Delta Ecology and Greenery Integration Demonstration Zone is on a fast track in various sectors such as environment, public service and science and technology innovation, a press conference heard on Thursday.

"The development is gaining stronger momentum," said Hua Yuan, deputy secretary general of Shanghai government and director of the zone's executive committee, as the two-year anniversary of the establishment of the demonstration zone was marked.

The zone covering 2,413 square kilometers includes Qingpu District in Shanghai, Wujiang District in Jiangsu Province and Jiashan County in Zhejiang Province.

Ten ecological and environmental protection projects are proceeding smoothly in the zone, according to its executive committee.

Among these, 22 kilometers of an ecological green corridor along Taipu River have been completed and a joint "river and lake chief" mechanism has been implemented to improve water environment and beautify river-bank landscapes in the zone.

Eight unified standards and seven unified monitoring mechanisms in ecological and environmental protection have been released and established respectively. An interprovincial ecological and environmental protection law enforcement team has been set up.

Construction on the "Watertown Living Room" project recently started.

"It shows the water ecology treatment in the zone and its construction are based on the target of 'a practice area of high-quality green development, a display area of crossover and integrated innovation and a leading area in world-class watertown livability'," said Hua.

Also the bank of Yuandang River is undergoing ecological restoration through green and low-carbon technologies.

In public service areas, a second batch of 13 standardized service items has been released, covering health, medical treatment, and government affairs.

Digital medical insurance services in the zone have delivered interprovincial on-the-spot settlements of outpatient bills, improving the medical treatment experience of patients in Qingpu, Wujiang and Jiashan.

By the end of September, more than 16,000 people had enjoyed interprovincial settlements through digital medical insurance services.

Six interprovincial bus routes have been operated in the zone and more than 1.48 million rides had been recorded by the end of last month.

Twelve transportation project are proceeding smoothly, covering the west extension of Metro Line 17 and connecting several interprovincial dead-end roads.

Twenty-six projects concerning people's livelihood have been implemented.

A single pass based on the social insurance card covers 2.83 million residents in the zone, enabling residents in Qingpu, Wujiang and Jiashan to enjoy the same treatment and preferential policies in transportation, sightseeing and cultural experiences.

Seventeen industrial innovation projects have landed and a world-class beautiful village cluster represented by Chengxiang Village, Lianhu Village and Shanwan Village is taking shape.

A scheme covering foreign high-end talent work permits has been released, targeting top professionals with Grade A classifications.