(Photo provided to Xinhua Daily)

Changzhou’s GDP exceeded one trillion yuan in 2023, representing a milestone in the city’s development, said Chen Jinhu, Secretary of the CPC Changzhou Municipal Committee at the third session of the 15th CPPCC Changzhou Committee on January 15.

Changzhou is the fifth city in Jiangsu, following Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuxi and Nantong, and the 9th city in the Yangtze River Delta, to join the trillion-yuan club. The delta region, consisting of Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui, is one of the most populated and urbanized city clusters in China. In addition to Shanghai, five cities in Jiangsu, two in Zhejiang and one in Anhui each boast a GDP of over one trillion yuan.

In recent years, Changzhou’s major economic indicators were generally higher than the provincial average. Furthermore, the city’s GDP in the first quarter, first half and first three quarters of 2023 were 5.7%, 7.0% and 6.7% higher than the same period of 2022, respectively.

The real economy has been crucial in driving Changzhou’s resilience and growth. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, China has a comprehensive modern industrial system, with 41 major categories, 207 medium categories and 666 minor categories. Changzhou leads Chinese cities in this regard, with 37, 191 and 605 such categories, respectively.

Notably, Changzhou has 31 out of 32 key links necessary for EV battery production, the most complete industry chain nationwide. The city boasts an annual EV capacity of 680,000 units, accounting for 70% of the province's total output. The new energy vehicles and parts industry generate approximately 450 billion yuan in output value.

Furthermore, Changzhou is home to 32 enterprises recognized as single champions in the manufacturing industry. It has also consistently ranked 16th among China’s top 100 advanced manufacturing cities for three consecutive years.