Great strides in innovation are taking place in Tongzhou district, Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province. The district is dedicated to innovative development, with a focus on upgrading and transforming local industries.

In the first half of the year, Tongzhou approved 74 new scientific and technological innovation projects, introduced 59 collaborative projects between academia and industry, and welcomed six new national-level "little giant" enterprises specializing in distinctive and emerging fields.

Additionally, the high-tech sector accounted for 56 percent of Tongzhou's total industrial output.

One example is Zhongkeyi (Nantong) Semiconductor Equipment Co Ltd in the Nantong National High-tech Industrial Development Zone, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sky Technology Development Co Ltd.

The company has mastered essential technology for producing dry vacuum pumps, making it a leading domestic manufacturer capable of mass-producing dry vacuum pumps for 12-inch wafer fabs in the semiconductor industry.

"The company established a presence in the zone in 2020, and our first trial production was rolled out in November of last year. Our annual production capacity currently stands at 13,000 units," said Jin Xue, the company's assistant general manager.

In addition to local enterprises, industrial parks in Tongzhou have also made strides in boosting innovation.

For example, Hengli (Nantong) Industrial Park, which has reached its third phase of development, will start operating its fourth phase at the end of this year.

Since its initial phase, the park's focus has not simply been on expanding in scale but also on technological innovation, working to improve product differentiation and setting new industry benchmarks.

Liu Jiaying, the park's deputy general manager, said that the third-phase project exhibits a high degree of product differentiation, with each set of equipment being either globally pioneering or serving the needs of the domestic market.

Last year, the park generated 13.5 billion yuan ($1.86 billion) in output.