Zhongnan Group and Nantong Sanjian Holdings (Group) Co were recently included in the 2020 list of the top 100 enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region in terms of operating revenue, local media reported.

The Haimen-based companies were ranked 13th and 31st respectively. In 2019, Zhongnan Group had an annual revenue of 282.1 billion yuan ($40.88 billion) while Nantong Sanjian raked in 149.8 billion yuan.

Construction is a pillar industry in Haimen. By the end of 2019, the district was home to 187 construction firms, with 316,400 people engaged in the business.

The industrial output of Haimen's construction industry was valued at 203.71 billion yuan in 2019, an increase of 9.2 percent year-on-year, the only one among districts, counties and county-level cities in Jiangsu province to break the 200-billion-yuan threshold.

The district aims to generate 210 billion yuan in construction output in 2020, according to Chen Yong, the district's Party secretary.

Companies with an annual output of 5 billion yuan and above will build their own research and development institutions by the end of this year.

Chen stressed that priority will be given to the construction industry. The local government will work to improve the business environment for industrial development and provide more preferential policies to the sector.

Representatives of Zhongnan Group and Nantong Sanjian Holdings (Group) Co receive "special contribution" awards at a construction industry conference of Haimen district on March 7. [Photo/nantong.gov.cn]