An aerial view of Zhangjiagang. [Photo/WeChat account: zhangjiagangfabu365]
In the first quarter of this year, the GDP of Zhangjiagang, a county-level city in Suzhou, grew by 5.8 percent from last year, ranking third in Suzhou in terms of total volume, and the growth rate surpassed the national and provincial averages.
Notably, the total industrial output value of enterprises above designated size reached 150.16 billion yuan ($21.98 billion), setting a record high. The two largest industries, metallurgy and electromechanical, together achieved an output value of 94.07 billion yuan, up 6.5 percent from last year.
In terms of fixed asset investment, Zhangjiagang completed investments totaling 15.05 billion yuan in the first quarter, marking an increase of 9.6 percent over last year. The manufacturing investment amounts to 7.76 billion yuan, an increase of 31.5 percent.
In the consumer market, Zhangjiagang achieved total retail sales of consumer goods of 16.74 billion yuan, reflecting year-on-year growth of 4 percent.
In the field of foreign trade, Zhangjiagang recorded a total import and export volume of $8.99 billion, maintaining its position as the third-largest in Suzhou in terms of total scale.