Jiading forges new frontiers in high-quality development

Jiading stands as a vital and dynamic hub within the Yangtze River Delta, strategically positioned along the Shanghai-Nanjing development axis. Notably, it has earned its place as a key industrial center and manufacturing powerhouse within Shanghai. In recent years, Jiading has embarked on a proactive journey of adaptation, seizing emerging opportunities and forging new frontiers, with a commitment to emerge as an exemplar of high-quality development. In a press conference held last month, senior officials from Jiading shared with the media what the district government has been doing, and achieved in its effort to drive both the economic and social development, as well as its plan to continue to empower high-quality growth in various aspects.

Propelling the regional economy through significant leaps in five aspects

The first leap centers on expanding both scale and prowess. In the first half of this year, Jiading’s economic value added was 124.83 billion yuan (US$17.14 billion), marking an increase of 9 percent. The general public budget revenue reached 14.42 billion yuan, a rise of 26 percent. The total output value of industries classified as above the designated size amounted to 200.16 billion yuan, representing an 11 percent upswing. The district’s total retail sales hit 79.52 billion yuan, marking a rise of 14 percent. Investment in fixed assets totaled 25.94 billion yuan, up 39 percent year on year.

The second leap is directed at propelling industrial development into new dimensions. On the “new four modernizations” of the auto industry (electrification, the Internet of Things, intellectualization and sharing), the district has more than 600 automotive enterprises that fit the categories, with total output exceeding 160 billion yuan in 2022, doubling in just two years.

The district has assumed a pioneering role in representing Shanghai in the national pilot project for smart city infrastructure and intelligent connected vehicles, and spearheaded the full-scale opening of test roads. It is actively establishing a leading high-performance medical equipment manufacturing hub in China, with prominent players including United Imaging, Sanyou Medical, and Kindly Group.

Besides, the district is crafting an integral “north wing” to the city’s integrated circuit framework, bolstering the platform capabilities of the National Smart Sensor Innovation Center and establishing a critical integrated circuit production line that encompasses pilot testing, research and development, and mass production.

As for the online new economy, its output in the district reached 311.92 billion yuan in 2022, and e-commerce retail sales amounted to 101.74 billion yuan, accounting for 30 percent of the city’s total.

The third leap involves achieving a new pinnacle in terms of quality and efficiency. In the first half of this year, the district witnessed the establishment of 27,000 new businesses, marking an increase of 79 percent. Additionally, 167 projects each valued at 100 million yuan or more were introduced into the district, a rise of 70.4 percent, and 11 new private enterprise headquarters were added. Moreover, main business revenue of industrial enterprises above the designated size rose 19.6 percent to 180.26 billion yuan, whilst total profit of the top 100 enterprises surged 121 percent to 6.51 billion yuan.

The fourth leap centers on leveraging innovation to drive new progress. Jiading has been exploring collaborative innovation models, wherein the industrial innovation alliance plays a central role, while extending the reach and influence of the Scientific Technology Fair for the Yangtze River Delta Region. At the same time, it has expedited the construction of two 100-billion-yuan science and technology parks. By the end of 2022, the district had 70 Little Giant enterprises specializing in niche sectors and 2,453 high-tech enterprises, ranking second and third, respectively, within the city.

The fifth leap centers on enhancing the business environment. Since 2022, Jiading has initiated a series of district-level growth-stabilizing policies, along with a comprehensive package of support measures. Moreover, it has fully implemented tax and fee reductions, which totaled nearly 20 billion yuan. The district has also released plans to optimize its business environment, with 28 district-level reform initiatives being added.

Transforming Jiading New City into a forward-looking urban area

The district’s 31 key tasks and 153 major projects have all received full dedication and implementation, and development of key industrial projects such as the Haichuang headquarters and major infrastructure projects like the Jiamin (Jiading-Minhang) Line is being accelerated.

Meanwhile, the first batch of five municipal-level major projects, including the SAIC Motor Innovation Research and Development Institute, are being implemented at an accelerated pace, with the second batch of six projects also unveiled.

Furthermore, three landmark projects in the central activity area of Jiading New City, namely the Yuanxiang Lake, Jiading Library and Shanghai Poly Grand Theater, are making continuous improvement.

The Shanghai Poly Grand Theater, in one of its latest moves, has unveiled the most expansive outdoor waterscape light and shadow show in Shanghai.

The Ximen historic and cultural district has been rapidly advancing its renewal project. And the construction on Shanghai’s largest single “nearly zero-energy building,” located in the Jiabao Smart Bay Future City Practice Zone, began at the end of June.

Striving to build an urban environment with a people-centered mindset

To fulfill the everyday needs of the people, Jiading has particularly focused on elderly care system and elderly services, childhood care and youth education, renovation of old communities, protection of historical features, as well as rural revitalization.

A range of top-tier educational resources, including institutions such as the Shanghai Experimental School Jiading New City Campus and Soong Ching Ling School Jiading Experimental School, have been introduced into the district, with 18 high-quality schools commencing operations in 2022 and another 14 slated for construction this year.

Three top-tier hospitals, namely Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Dongfang Hepatobiliary Hospital and the Shanghai Municipal Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, are now operating in the district. Additionally, a national health promotion zone and a national maternal and child health high-quality service demonstration zone have been established in the district.

In terms of rural revitalization, 12 municipal-level rural revitalization demonstration villages and 20 municipal-level beautiful rural demonstration villages have been established, and a batch of distinctive agricultural and tourism integration projects such as Xiangyue Huating have been unveiled. The district has also led the city in launching the construction of the Digital Unmanned Farm Industry Area, including a 1,600-mu (106.6-hectare) demonstration zone.

In recent years, Jiading has undertaken several projects to enhance its ecological environment, such as the construction of footpaths along the Huancheng River and a landscape improvement initiative along the Hengli River. In 2022, the district achieved an outstanding air quality rate of 90.3 percent and an excellent surface water assessment rate of 93.2 percent, the best levels recorded since monitoring commenced.

As for social governance, the district has established 43 neighborhood centers, integrating services to better cater to the various needs of people living and working in the district.

Four major areas to drive future development for high-quality growth

Firstly, the district will intensify its efforts to attract high-tech and high-quality foreign investments, thereby unleashing the full development potential of the private sector.

With a top priority of nurturing “unicorn” and “hidden champion” enterprises, it aims to amass a cohort of companies with exceptional capabilities in the distribution or allocation of resources.

Moreover, it will expedite the construction of “dual centers,” dedicated to public data for new-energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles.

Secondly, Jiading will focus on serving as a wellspring of technological innovation and enhancing its ability to foster collaborative innovation. It is building a comprehensive cultivation chain, spanning small and medium-sized technology enterprises through to high-tech enterprises, and culminating in technology Little Giants.

The aim is to significantly increase the total number of high-tech enterprises to 3,000 by 2025.

Focusing on specialized domains such as fuel cells, it is spearheading collaborative innovation alliances to surmount hurdles in critical technologies.

Thirdly, the district government will focus on its role to lead the development of high-end industries, while bolstering its core capabilities within modern sectors. It is fast-tracking the creation of a global innovation hub for intelligent connected vehicles, while supporting SAIC’s transformation and development.

Construction on the Shanghai Smart Vehicle Software Park, Shanghai Automotive Chip Valley, Shanghai Auto Innovation Park, Jiading New Energy Vehicle & Key Parts Industrial Base and Jiading Hydrogen Port is in full swing at an elevated level, and it is deepening the pilot project for smart city infrastructure and intelligent connected vehicles.

It is also intensifying its efforts toward intelligent and digital transformation, with the goal of surpassing the 90 percent mark in enterprises above the designated size in key sectors by 2025.

Fourthly, the district is focused on its role as a service-oriented gateway and enhancing its ability to expand impact as a node city. It will leverage major platforms such as the China International Import Expo, elevate the prowess of its comprehensive bonded zone, facilitate overseas promotion efforts to global investors, and provide robust support and encouragement for leading industries and high-quality enterprises to expand into international markets. It is fortifying its node functions across industry, technological innovation, services, and transportation, and will step up construction of the Jiading-Kunshan-Taicang core circle for collaborative innovation.