Jiangsu Province, a dynamic economic center in East China, is embarking on a new round of local economic developments with its latest strategic focus on areas on both sides of the Yangtze River which runs more than 425 kilometers in Jiangsu's territory.

The campaign, which opened its prelude in late June, aims to establish a base of strongly competitive international manufacturing industries, a series of civilized and vigorous cities and a scenery belt with sound ecological systems and charming river landscapes, said Li Yuanchao, Party Secretary of the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee, at a recent provincial meeting for senior local officials.

This is the latest strategic move taken by Jiangsu to seek a new economic ``leap-forward'' in ensuring Jiangsu remains one of China's strongest provinces.

The drive will serve as an engine to help Jiangsu attract and make good use of the international industries increasingly flowing into the Yantze River Delta, help turn the whole province into a ``well-off'' (xiaokang) society and realize basic industrialization ahead of other provinces in China.

Jiangsu has built a comparatively solid economic basis after more than 20 years of development. The mushrooming of township enterprises in the 1980s and the rapid development of the export-oriented economy in the 1990s have helped Jiangsu achieve a leading position in China's national economy.

Official statistics indicate Jiangsu's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) last year increased 11.6 percent over the previous year to 1.0636 trillion yuan (US$128.6 billion), accounting for 10.4 percent of the country's total GDP. Jiangsu is China's second province after Guandong to post a GDP in excess of 1 trillion yuan.

The campaign will mainly involve eight cities located on both sides of the Yangtze River -- Nanjing, Yangzhou, Taizhou, Zhenjiang, Nantong, Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou -- which cover 41.2 percent of the province's land, 53.3 percent of the province's population and will be a crucial part in Jiangsu's social economic development.

The cities house 31 national- and provincial-level economic development zones and contribute 77.2 percent of Jiangsu's GDP and 97 percent of its import and export business volumes, including three-forths of the provincial revenue.

The successful implementation of the new strategy will ensure Jiangsu reaches three goals by the year 2010, according to Li, who was elected Party Secretary for the Jiangsu Provincial Party Committee at the 16th Party Congress last November.

First, Jiangsu's per capita GDP should reach 50,000 yuan (US$6,024) and its regional GDP, 1,280 billion yuan (US$154.2 billion) by 2010, doubling 2000 figures, said Li.

The province's total industrial output value will amount to 2,000 billion yuan while the value-added industrial output is to surpass 674 billion yuan. Output value of the manufacturing sector and the value added will make up 95 and 98 percent of the industries, respectively.

Secondly, the industrial structure will be remarkably improved with the establishment of a riverside industrial corridor that highlights new and high technologies, modern manufacturing bases and logistics services. By then, the output value of the manufacturing sector, the chemical and metallurgy sectors will make up 25, 24 and 14 percent of the province's total industrial output value.

Thirdly, the use of the riverline areas will be more rational and scientific. Under the strategy, Jiangsu will build a chain of industrial parks, ecological parks and a group of riverside cities equipped with good infrastructure and connected through modern land and waterway transportation networks.

More international cargo transport routes will be opened and functions of river ports will be fully utilized.

Jiangsu has become an important base of machinery manufacturing, petrochemical and metallurgical industries in China, and a number of world-famous corporations have established joint ventures there. All of these factors have provided a good basis for Jiangsu to develop an international manufacturing base.

The provincial government is now readjusting its economic development position and drawing up scientific plans and policies to support the new development strategy which will give full play to its unique resources -- the 425-kilometer-long golden waterway.

``Jiangsu must make good use of its comparative and geographical advantages to speed up industrialization and build a platform for the entry of new technologies and the transfer of international industries from other parts of the world to the Yangtze River Delta,'' said Li, who was a post graduate of the Shanghai-based Fudan University.

The 53-year-old Party secretary said Jiangsu will introduce new funds, new technologies, new mechanisms and new talents to boost the gathering and upgrading of industries along the riverlines and the restructuring of local enterprises.

"With about 10 years' efforts, we plan to turn regions along the Yangzte River into the most vigorously advanced production force, a demonstration region for sustainable development, a front line for the opening up in the Yangtze River Valley, a vigorous riverside city belt and a river scenery belt dotted with sound ecological systems,'' Li said.

Initial estimates show that a total of 2,100 (US$253 billion) - 2,500 billion yuan (US$301 billion) of social fixed asset investments are needed to support the implementation of the Yangtze riverline development strategy.

The provincial government is mobilizing all sectors in the province to ensure the drive assist Jiangsu in establishing an international manufacturing industries base, promote integrated regional development, local industrialization and play a better role in the process of integrated economy in the Yangtze River Delta which covers Jiangsu, Shanghai and Zhejiang.

(By Ma Zhiping)

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