Haimen in Nantong was included among the 120 counties and county-level cities nationwide to serve as models for new-type urban development, according to a notice released by the National Development and Reform Commission on June 3.

The counties, including 58 in the Yangtze River Delta region and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, 31 in Central China, 21 in West China, and 10 in the northeastern region, all boast a solid foundation for development and a strong fiscal capacity, the notice suggested.

"Counties are a key part of the promotion of the country's industrialization and urbanization," the notice said. The novel coronavirus outbreak has revealed a number of problems in county-level areas related to public health, living environment, government services, and civic infrastructure.

To solve these problems, the notice specified 17 tasks in four main areas:

1. Improving public service facilities, including those for medical treatment, education, elderly and infant care, culture, tourism, sports, social welfare, and community services.

2. Improving environmental sanitation facilities, including public toilets and those for waste disposal and sewage treatment.

3. Improving urban public facilities, including optimizing transportation infrastructure, building express delivery facilities, promoting digital administrative platforms, and restoring old residential areas.

4. Improving industrial cultivation facilities, including industrial platforms and cold-chain logistics facilities, and upgrading farm produce markets.

The notice also suggested that the central government provide more financial support to help these counties overcome their weaknesses in an effort to pursue the integrated development of urban and rural areas and improve people's living standards.