Xinhua Daily Focus: Tongzhou Bay: Accelerating Development, Leading the Way in Ocean-Oriented Strategy

Rapid enterprise development and accelerated park development. In 2023, the Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone's regional GDP grew by 7.8%, 2 percentage points higher than the city average, and the growth rates of its above-scale industrial output value, above-scale industrial added value, and fixed asset investment all ranked first in Nantong.

“With the enterprising spirit of ‘competing’ in the river and sea, we will bravely take the lead in the construction of the Tongzhou Bay petrochemical dual-circulation base.” Lu Zhong Hua, secretary of the Party Working Committee of the Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone, said that they will unswervingly forge ahead along the blueprint and clear “roadmap” drawn by General Secretary Xi Jinping, effectively implementing the decisions and deployments of the province and city without any discount, and will make full use of the strategic and policy effects of the Yangtze River Estuary Industrial Innovation Collaborative Zone and the Tongzhou Bay petrochemical dual-circulation base construction, uniting forces and working in the same direction, using a proactive attitude and a running state to speed up the “Tongzhou Bay speed,” and making greater contributions to building a pioneering area for high-quality development of the marine industry.

Overlapping opportunities, the petrochemical dual-circulation base sets sail

“Work hard for a year and ensure that the main factory building structure is topped out by the end of the year!” In the construction site of the Huaneng Nantong (Tongzhou Bay) 2×1000,000 kW large-scale clean and efficient coal-fired power project, the workers are working hard.

This project is jointly constructed by China Huaneng and China Zhongmei in a “coal-electricity joint management” mode. It is a key project in the provincial energy development “14th Five-Year Plan” and the first 10-billion-yuan coastal industrial project in the first dock of the main port area of the new seaport in Tongzhou Bay. After completion, the project will output nearly 10 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, which is of great significance to the local power balance and economic development.

The cooperation of the two major central enterprises has become a vivid footnote to the fact that “everyone is optimistic about Tongzhou Bay.” From 2012 to the present, after more than ten years of hard work and laying the foundation, Tongzhou Bay, which started from a piece of wasteland, has continuously improved its strategic position, accelerated the gathering of key industries, and made its urban functions more perfect, accumulating sufficient confidence to accelerate its progress and strive for the “next ten years.”

The “heat” of Tongzhou Bay was evident at this year’s provincial Two Sessions. Wu Xinming, secretary of the Nantong Municipal Committee, said in his exchange speech at the provincial People’s Congress that they should accelerate the construction of the Tongzhou Bay petrochemical dual-circulation base and promote the start of construction of leading and base projects such as the China Petroleum Nantong New Materials Base. Zhang Tong, mayor of Nantong, proposed planning and building the Tongzhou Bay petrochemical dual-circulation base, building a center for the import, storage, transportation, processing, and trade of bulk commodities, and striving to become an important node in the dual-circulation strategy.

Where the river and sea surge, it is time to strive forward. Nantong has identified striving for strength towards the sea as a key variable and the greatest increment in promoting development, and Tongzhou Bay is undoubtedly the main battlefield: The river-sea junction waters of the Tongzhou Bay port area have been designated as a Class A navigation area by the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport, becoming the second in the country and the first in Jiangsu; the 200,000-ton-class wharf in the three docks of the Tongzhou Bay operating area has completed 90% of its total engineering volume, with 4 operating berths in the area and 7 berths about to be completed and put into operation; 4 projects, including Huaneng, Huada, and Lanshui, have obtained shoreline approvals, with the number and area of approved sea-use projects leading the province.

Building the Tongzhou Bay petrochemical dual-circulation base, along with the “joint construction of the Yangtze River Estuary Industrial Innovation Collaborative Zone,” has become Nantong’s “two major ideas” for “long-term planning.” Relying on the construction of the new seaport in Tongzhou Bay, Nantong plans to build a full-industry chain green petrochemical base from oil and gas to end-consumer products, better supporting Jiangsu in taking the lead in serving the national construction of a new development pattern and serving and guaranteeing the energy security of the Yangtze River Delta.

“Firmly shoulder the mission of development, and bravely take the lead in the construction of the Tongzhou Bay petrochemical dual-circulation base with the enterprising spirit of ‘competing’ in the river and sea.” Lu Zhong Hua said that they will concentrate their efforts, integrate policies, and gather resources to accelerate the completion of the preparation and approval of 19 planning documents for the Tongzhou Bay green chemical expansion area, and promote the construction of 26 infrastructure projects such as public supporting facilities, safety and emergency response, and environmental protection to a high standard. At the same time, they will actively coordinate with other areas of “Greater Tongzhou Bay,” proactively connect with the Shanghai Caojing Petrochemical Base, jointly build a national offshore oil base with countries in the Gulf region, actively participate in negotiations on cooperation with oil and gas resources in the UAE, and work together to build a leading domestic and world-class full-industry chain high-end chemical industry base.

Enlarging advantages, creating a characteristic industrial cluster with a clear main chain

Adhering to focusing on projects, cultivating superior industries, and increasing the total volume, the list of major provincial projects for 2024 has recently been released, and the Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone has received 5 projects, including the Phase I of the China Petroleum Nantong New Materials Base and the Tongzhou Bay Furite Solar Photovoltaic Glass and Backplane, ranking among the top in the city’s counties (cities, districts) and first among the city’s development parks.

“Of the planned 7.8 square kilometers of industrial park, only two plots of land remain, and many companies want to settle here.” When a reporter visited the High-end Equipment Coastal Industrial Park to experience the heat of project construction in Tongzhou Bay, the person in charge of investment promotion in the demonstration zone pointed to the project distribution map and introduced that the total length of the shorelines of the east and west docks of the industrial park is 9.4 kilometers, which can accommodate 38 berths for coastal industrial supporting facilities of 50,000 tons or less, and the land behind the berths is for coastal industrial use. Such resources are rare even in the Yangtze River Delta. The industrial park has attracted 20 enterprises in the fields of shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment, new energy equipment, and chemical equipment, and a characteristic high-end equipment industrial cluster is taking shape. After full production, the annual output value is expected to exceed 470 billion yuan.

Since last year, the Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone has continuously carried out the "Double Hundred Project," successfully holding investment talks and project signing and commencement ceremonies in Shanghai, Suzhou, Beijing, and other places. A total of 32 projects with an investment of over 100 million yuan were newly signed and registered throughout the year, 15 projects with an investment of over 100 million yuan were newly commenced, and 46 industrial projects were completed and put into production.

On January 25, a "brainstorming session" was held by the Zilangu Lake. Nantong Science and Technology Group and Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone, together with Shanghai Lingang Science and Technology Investment Management Co., Ltd., held the "Zilangu Lake Science and Technology Convergence" Nantong Lingang Dongjiu Advanced Technology Equity Investment Fund Industry Investor Conference. Many high-tech enterprises in Tongzhou Bay gave presentations to seek investment. The Nantong Lingang Dongjiu Advanced Technology Equity Investment Fund has a scale of 200 million yuan. In operation for more than a year, it has invested in 3 enterprises in Tongzhou Bay, and the project valuation has steadily increased. The fund manager introduced: "Investment cannot rely on 'coercion.' The influx of enterprises shows that Tongzhou Bay has unique advantages and strong development momentum."

Last year, the Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone introduced a package of policies to support enterprise technological innovation and "stabilizing growth and promoting development." A total of 19.66 million yuan in policy funds for enterprises was paid out throughout the year. Four enterprises, including Huarui, were recognized as provincial specialized and new enterprises; 12 enterprises, including Chenda, were recognized as high-tech enterprises; 56 new small and medium-sized technology-based enterprises were recognized; and 96 new valid invention patents were added, achieving the fastest growth rate in the city.

This year is a breakthrough year for the construction of several major projects worth over 10 billion yuan in Tongzhou Bay, and it is also the year with the most major provincial projects since the establishment of the zone. It will surely be the year with the most "explosive" investment conversion of projects." Shi Hongjie, deputy secretary of the Party Working Committee and director of the Management Committee of the Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone, introduced that in-depth implementation of the city's deployment requirements for the "Year of Breakthrough in Major Projects" will promote the rapid conversion of major projects worth over 10 billion yuan, such as those of PetroChina and Fu莱特, and a batch of high-quality projects. It is striving to sign new projects with a total investment of over 600 billion yuan throughout the year, accelerating the formation of a clearly defined industrial cluster with distinctive features, and promoting the construction of Tongzhou Bay's petrochemical dual-circulation base and new export outlet.

Worry-free "Bay" affairs, high-standard construction of the core area of "Greater Tongzhou Bay"

Tunnel boring machines are known as the "kings of machinery." Their "length" often exceeds 100 meters, and their "weight" reaches hundreds of tons. How long does it take for a project with a total investment of over 2 billion yuan and a total construction area of over 100,000 square meters to complete the delivery of a tunnel boring machine from the start of construction? In the demonstration zone, China Railway 14th Bureau Equipment Company gave the answer—8 months.

We signed the contract, started construction, and put it into production in the following year, setting a new record for the "Tongzhou Bay speed" of project construction." Li Xiangqing, deputy chief engineer of China Railway 14th Bureau Equipment Company, said that the strong support for the rapid development of enterprises is the enterprise service system of the "three centers and three specialists" in the demonstration zone's project attraction service center, approval service center, and construction service center.

Grasping work style construction is grasping development, and planning the business environment is planning the future. On February 21, the Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone held a mobilization meeting to continuously deepen the "Year of Improving the Style of Government Organs" and the "Year of Improving the Business Environment." As the "first meeting of the new year," it aimed to rectify stubborn problems in work style and environment, continuously creating the "everything goes smoothly, worry-free "Bay" affairs" business service brand, and promoting Tongzhou Bay to accelerate its sprint and achieve better results.

Establish a user-centric approach and attract talents from all walks of life. Not long ago, the Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone released the Talent New Policy 4.0. Starting from the needs of talent innovation and entrepreneurship, it further improved the full-cycle support system covering talent project funding, living allowances, housing security, and supporting rewards, providing "zero-distance" service to talents, "zero-obstacle" policy implementation, and "zero-delay" needs satisfaction, creating a "happy bay area" for talent entrepreneurship and a "high-tech highland" for the gathering of innovation elements.

Driving through Tongzhou Bay, under the blue sky and beside the blue sea, growing simultaneously with numerous major projects is a well-equipped and scenic coastal city. Last year, Zilangu Primary School Tongzhou Bay Branch's "Salt-tolerant Rice Course: Curriculum Base Construction Oriented to Labor Education" was rated as a Jiangsu Provincial Basic Education Connotation Construction Project, achieving a breakthrough for Tongzhou Bay. Tongzhou Bay Experimental Kindergarten was rated as a Jiangsu Provincial Digital Demonstration School (Kindergarten) for Family-School (Kindergarten) Co-education. Tian Jiabing Middle School Tongzhou Bay Branch was completed and put into operation. The "Nantong Middle School Class" of Tongzhou Bay Middle School was opened and operated. Through cooperation and co-construction with municipal-level key schools, Tongzhou Bay has fully introduced high-quality educational resources and has formed an education system covering education from preschool to high school. The Nantong No. 1 People's Hospital Tongzhou Bay Branch (Tongzhou Bay Demonstration Zone People's Hospital) has completed the construction of the emergency building and ward building and is about to open.

"Tongzhou Bay Core Commercial City is a comprehensive high-end business district serving the industrial development and production and living needs of industrial talents in the 'Greater Tongzhou Bay.'" Shi Hongjie said that as the "Nantong City Sub-center" and the main port area of the "Greater Tongzhou Bay," the demonstration zone will accelerate the improvement of the core area's commercial supporting functions, promote the upgrading of life service industries to refinement and high quality, and configure high-standard educational and medical and other high-quality public resources. It will use landmark urban functional projects to enhance the city's level, fully demonstrate the image and temperament of the core area of the "Greater Tongzhou Bay," and strive to build a vibrant port city with form, warmth, and quality.