The Nantong Economic and Technological Development Area (NETDA) of Jiangsu province received recognition as a "China Innovative Development Area" at the 2015 Mayors Forum on City Development held in Beijing on Oct 16.
The annual forum, sponsored by the Xinhua News Agency since 2012, aimed to facilitate the sustainable development of domestic cities through discussion on national policies, the environment, the economy and management. This year's event focused on the 30-year history of China's development areas from 1984 to 2014 by presenting their superb business environments and fruitful results.
On the basis of strict evaluation of GDP, the numbers of top-500 enterprises, the ratio of high-tech companies and skilled business people, infrastructure, environmental protection and other factors, the organizers released a list of "China Innovative Development Areas" along with other lists at the forum.
The NETDA Free Trade Zone got the original go-ahead, on Jan 3, 2013, from the State Council, for a 5.29-sq-km area, in two parts.
Suzhou-Nantong science & technology industrial park
Equipment manufacturing industrial park
Urban-rural commercial zone
Nengda central business district
New materials industrial park
Medical treatment & health industrial park
Sci-tech industrial park
Precision machinery industrial park