Yangtze River Stories (23): Connectivity to boost integration in Yangtze River Delta Region

Zhejiang province in southeast China has been accelerating infrastructure connectivity in recent years, bridging different areas of the Yangtze River Delta Region to further boost high-quality integration and coordination of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

The Yangtze River is the world’s busiest inland river in terms of waterway cargo volume. As a crucial hub connecting inland water transport and international shipping, Zhejiang is pushing forward with plans to integrate the region’s resources. For example, the coordinated Zhoushan and Ningbo ports are now able to handle a billion tons of cargos each year, ranking top globally for nine consecutive years. In addition, the preliminarily established provincial one-hour traffic circle will further facilitate infrastructure connectivity.

Zhejiang is also promoting the joint air and water pollution controls, as well as the integration of pension, medical care, and other public services in region.

According to a new consensus on regional integration in June, Zhejiang will play a pioneering role in big data sharing in the Yangtze River Delta Region. The province is promoting the digital economy through transformation projects targeting the process of digitization and clustering.

In the first half of 2018, core industries in the province reaped 234.8 billion yuan in added value, up 16.4 percent year-on-year, accounting for nearly one-tenth of the total provincial GDP in the same period.