Officials: Shanghai's Yangpu crucial to high-quality economic growth

Shanghai's Yangpu district has constantly made efforts to transform traditional industries, build innovative modern industry clusters, and unleash cultural creativity to advance its high-quality economic development, officials said on Dec 7.

Yangpu uses a compound model for leading economic growth with the digital economy at its core and this integrated system brings together talent and enterprises around strategic sectors like smart manufacturing, online commerce, and creative design, while also supporting industry upgrades through technologies like artificial intelligence and stimulating chain reactions across priority fields, said Wang Tao, chief of the industry section of Yangpu district development and reform commission.

The digital economy in the district, which is typified by the software and information services industry, grew at a rate of 40 percent in the first half of this year. Its revenue is expected to be more than 230 billion yuan ($32 billion) by the end of the year, making up about one-sixth of the city's total and one-third of the downtown's total, according to Wang.

Binjiang, an area within Yangpu district, has in recent years been driving high-quality growth in areas along the Huangpu River by focusing on intelligent technologies, sustainability, and culture.

According to You Huangxin, manager of the innovation development department of Yangpu Knowledge Innovation Zone Investment and Development Co Ltd, the Great Knowledge & Innovation Community in Yangpu is one pilot area where technology, education, and talent come together. Thanks to its comprehensive suite of talent services and digital networks, the zone is now home to over 14,000 companies, of which 73 percent specialize in scientific innovations. Many of them are incubating frontier technologies in big data, cloud computing, AGI and other areas.

Yangpu, which is home to many internet, gaming, video, and creative companies, has also been constantly rolling out new policies and initiatives to drive development, said Xu Gang, chief of the industrial service section of Yangpu district bureau of culture and tourism. Xu added that Yangpu, which is one of China's first national heritage protection demonstration areas, has been striving to transform the former "industrial rust belt" into a "vibrant cultural show belt".