The economic momentum in the Yangtze River Delta region remains strong. As Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui have released their half-year economic reports, the region's total GDP for the first half of the year is approximately 17.36 trillion yuan, accounting for nearly a quarter of the national economy.
Jiangsu has become the first province in the Yangtze River Delta to surpass the 7 trillion yuan mark in half-year economic output, while Zhejiang leads the region in GDP growth rate. All four provinces and city have outpaced the national average growth rate.
Key Highlights
Regional Foreign Trade Surges 18% in the First Half of the Year
As one of China's most economically vibrant and open regions, the Yangtze River Delta saw its total import and export volume hit a record high for the first half of the year, maintaining growth for 16 consecutive months. This demonstrates strong economic resilience and development vitality.
In the first half of 2024, the total import and export value of the Yangtze River Delta region reached 9.62 trillion yuan, a new record for the period, marking an 18% year-on-year increase. This figure accounts for 37.8% of the nation's total foreign trade.
Xueluoyang Road Opens to Traffic in the Water Town Living Room
On July 25, the cross-provincial road connecting Shanghai's Qingpu district and Jiangsu's Wujiang district, Xueluoyang Road, officially opened to traffic. This is the first cross-provincial connecting road to be opened in the Yangtze River Delta Integration Demonstration Zone during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period and represents another achievement in integrated approval system reform.
Xueluoyang Road is a key component of the backbone road network in the Water Town Living Room. It stretches from Wujiang's Fenhu Avenue in the west to Qingpu's Huqingping Highway in the east, with a total length of approximately 4.53 kilometers. After the road's opening, the travel time between Qingpu's Jinze town and Wujiang's Fenhu High-tech Zone has been reduced from 15-20 minutes to about 5 minutes.
Industry and Technology
Yingtian Laboratory for Space Astronomy and Engineering Inaugurated in Nanjing
On July 23, Nanjing held a conference to advance the construction of the Shanghai (Yangtze River Delta) International Science and Technology Innovation Center and the Nanjing Zijinshan Innovation Belt. During the event, the Yingtian Laboratory for Space Astronomy and Engineering was officially inaugurated. Co-established by Nanjing University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology, in partnership with the Qixia district, the laboratory aims to become a globally influential strategic scientific force in the aerospace field. It will integrate the entire chain of basic research in space astronomy, core technology breakthroughs, and industrial transformation of scientific achievements, focusing on fostering new productive forces in the aerospace sector.
Jiangsu Introduces Measures to Support AI OPC Innovation
To deeply implement the "AI+" action and cultivate emerging business models and organizational forms represented by AI OPCs (One Person Companies), the Jiangsu Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the Jiangsu Provincial Data Bureau have jointly issued the "Several Measures of Jiangsu Province to Support the Innovation and Development of AI OPCs." The measures define an AI OPC as a minimal organizational unit where a single founder acts as the core operator, leveraging digital tools and external collaborative networks to create, deliver, and capture value through individual or micro-team operations. These measures apply to legally operating AI OPCs, which generally have a staff size of no more than 10 people.
Zhejiang's Smart Bionic Robot Exports Account for Nearly 60% of National Total in First Half of Year
4.3 billion yuan, representing approximately 60% of the country's total exports of similar products—this is the half-year report card for Zhejiang's smart bionic robot exports released by Hangzhou Customs for the first half of 2026. Currently, Zhejiang province has over 2,000 core AI enterprises, with core industry revenues exceeding 300 billion yuan. A robot industry ecosystem covering R&D and design, core component manufacturing, assembly, software enablement, application deployment, and foreign trade exports is rapidly taking shape in Zhejiang.
Changzhou High-tech Zone Launches "Partnership Plan" for Synthetic Biology Industry
Recently, the Changzhou National High-tech District held the "Cells Empower New Quality, Platforms Gather New Life" Changgaoxin CGT (Cell and Gene Therapy) Platform Launch and Industry Development Exchange Conference, unveiling a "Partnership Plan" to support the high-quality development of the synthetic biology industry. The first seven companies, including Fosun Kairui, Ronggu Biotechnology, and Longyao Biotechnology, have signed on to join the Changgaoxin CGT platform.
Major Projects
Shanghai Signs Key AI Projects
From July 17 to 20, the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance was successfully held in Shanghai. This conference is one of the largest and most influential international events in the global AI field and marks China's first high-level home diplomatic event focused on AI. A series of key AI projects were signed in Shanghai, including 32 projects in areas such as AI infrastructure, agent applications, embodied intelligence, and scientific intelligence, with total investment exceeding 40.9 billion yuan.
Lixin Station on the Huaibei-Fuyang High-Speed Railway Completed
Recently, the Lixin station on the Huaibei-Fuyang High-Speed Railway was fully completed. The new station, designed with the concept of "a leaf boat on the Jiangnan water town," signals the end of Lixin County's history without a high-speed rail connection and represents an upgrade to the transportation network in northern Anhui. The Huaibei-Fuyang High-Speed Railway is the first 350 km/h high-speed rail project independently invested and constructed by Anhui Province. Its main line is approximately 142.5 kilometers long, serving as a vital transportation artery through northern Anhui. The entire line has now entered the static testing phase, with the start of operations imminent.
Yuanpeng OPC Community Launches in Hongkou
On July 23, the Yuanpeng OPC (Hongkou) Cross-border E-commerce and Trendy E-commerce Community officially began operations in Shanghai's Hongkou district. The project focuses on creating a one-stop service platform combining "industrial belts + (cross-border e-commerce, trendy e-commerce)." Leveraging core capabilities such as AI empowerment, platform services, full-chain operations, and financial services, it aims to help enterprises achieve digital transformation and global expansion, building a new ecosystem for all-encompassing e-commerce.
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