Encompassing Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, the 358,000-square-kilometer Yangtze River Delta generates about one-quarter of the country's GDP. Since the upgrading of the delta region’s development into a national strategy in November 2018, the four provincial-level regions have made unremitting efforts to boost cooperative and integrated development in infrastructures, public services, industrial clustering and innovative collaboration.
The four provincial-level regions in the Yangtze River Delta have made joint efforts to promote the development of an integrated transportation system to give a stronger fuel to the social and economic growth momentum in the delta region.
The Yuandang Lake Bridge connecting Qingpu district of Shanghai and Wujiang district of Jiangsu has become the symbol of the demonstration zone of green and integrated ecological development of the Yangtze River Delta.
"It used to be the practice for the people around the Yuandang Lake of Wujiang in Jiangsu to take a 20-kilometer-detour in the urban area,when traveling to Qingpu District of Shanghai as the highways in Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are separated from each other due to the inconsistency in construction standards and varied demand.The launch of the demonstration zone of green and integrated ecological development of the Yangtze River Delta has dismantled the barriers in administrative examination and approval,when it comes to the transportation infrastructure construction."said Yao Jun, Head of Construction, Fenhu Development Zone Administration, Jiangsu
"Institutional innovation has released the vitality of development,realized cross-regional coordination of administrative governance,and enhanced the public's higher sense of gain in integrated high-quality development."said Xiang Juanjuan, Official with Demonstration Zone of Green and Integrated Ecological Development of the Yangtze River Delta
The accelerated development of the integrated transportation network in the Yangtze River Delta has benefited the local people.
The Yangtze River Delta has also promoted science and technology innovation alliance to boost the development momentum in the delta region since the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta was upgraded into a national strategy.
In 2020, the density of PM2.5 in the 41 cities in the delta region stood at 35 Mg/m3, a decline of 31.4% from 2015.
90% of the prefecture-level cities in the delta region have gained access to the country’s high-speed railway system with more than 6000 kilometers of high-speed rail tracks built in the Yangtze River Delta.
Nearly 100 5G commercial demonstration projects have been launched in the delta region.
Integrated online administrative services have been made available in 560 sites in the Yangtze River Delta while residents in the delta regions have been enabled to reimburse their trans-regional medical expenses.
"Last year,Lai’an introduced 59 industrial projects with individual fixed assets investment of more than 100 million yuan,54.6% of the projects are transferred from within the Yangtze River Delta,which has enhanced our industrial chain and accelerated our economic growth."said Zhang Jing’an, Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of the Economic Development Zone of Lai'an County, Anhui Province
"The four provincial-level regions of the Yangtze River Delta have established a joint mechanism to ensure the sharing of medical supplies, diagnosis and treatment plans and consultations for critically ill patients."said Yu Xuebin, Secretary of the Party Branch of the Second People's Hospital of Jiashan County, Zhejiang Province
"The collaborative mechanism has provided us with the greatest conveniences in commuting between the regions so as to measure up to the requirements for epidemic prevention and control and help with production and work resumption."Yuan Xuerong, General Manager of Anhui Shengshi Hi-Tech Track Equipment Co., Ltd.
In the first quarter of this year, the Yangtze River Delta's regional GDP exceeded 6 trillion yuan, accounting for 24.55% of the country's total economic output.
According to the development goals set by the "Outline of the Yangtze River Delta Regional Integration Development Plan", by 2035, the Yangtze River Delta will see a relatively high level of integrated development and become the most influential and dynamic growth pole with strong and active growth.
