On the morning of June 6, the 2nd High-level Forum on Integrated Development of Yangtze River Delta was held in Huzhou city, Zhejiang province. The four municipal governments of Wuxi, Changzhou, Huzhou and Xuancheng signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Bright Food (Group) Co., Ltd. on the joint development of the Yangtze River Delta Industrial Cooperation Zone. Mayor Chen Jinhu signed the contract on behalf of the Changzhou Municipal People’s Government.

The main leaders of Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui attended the forum. The major projects for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region signed collectively at the forum involves many fields such as industrial cooperation, technological innovation, environmental protection and interconnection of transportation.

Among them, the Yangtze River Delta Industrial Cooperation Zone involves the Baimaoling Farm in Shanghai, Yixing and Liyang in Jiangsu province, Changxing and Anji in Zhejiang province, and Guangde and Langxi in Anhui province. It is the only project that covers the whole region of the Yangtze River Delta. The cooperation zone will speed up the coordinated development of green and emerging industries such as big-data tourism and healthcare, new energy vehicles and their key components, smart equipment, digital economy, biomedicine, energy conservation and environmental protection.

All parties to the cooperation will jointly compile a collaborative development plan to build a modern industrial system that promotes integrated development of innovation-driven transformation, infrastructure construction, environmental protection, tourism improvement and public services across the Yangtze River Delta. At the same time, the cooperation zone will serve to enhance the interconnection and interoperability of major transportation facilities such as the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge, and explore a model of inter-provincial integration of urban and rural development.

Joining the Yangtze River Delta Industrial Cooperation Zone is another major measure for Changzhou to integrate into the Yangtze River Delta region. Qi Jiabin, secretary of CPC Changzhou Municipal Committee, pointed out at the Two Sessions of the city last month that the Yangtze River Delta Integration Plan has become a national strategy which brings about significant opportunities for Changzhou to enhance its development. To deliver a "good voice" in the "chorus" of the integrated development, it is necessary to clarify Changzhou's goals and pursue them effectively. He said that Changzhou has location-specific advantages as it is seated between the three major cities of Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou, with which Changzhou has the potential of becoming a “strategic pivot� in the central part of the Yangtze River Delta.