The groundbreaking ceremony for the Suzhou Space Pioneer Academy of Aerospace Intelligent Manufacturing was held on April 23. [Photo/zjgonline.com.cn]

The port city of Zhangjiagang in East China's Jiangsu province launched 89 projects with a combined investment of 57.04 billion yuan ($8.88 billion) on April 23, involving high-end industries, scientific and technological innovation, infrastructure, quality of life, and more.

One of the projects is the Space Pioneer Intelligent Manufacturing Center funded by Space Pioneer, one of the country's leading private rocket companies. The new center in Zhangjiagang covers an area of 200 mu (13.33 hectares) and received a total of 4 billion yuan in investment. It is expected to produce 30 liquid-fuel launch vehicles and 300 rocket engines per year.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Suzhou Space Pioneer Academy of Aerospace Intelligent Manufacturing was held that same day. The academy will focus on the research and development of new technologies and new materials for aerospace manufacturing in order to develop itself into a hub for the aerospace industry, and accelerate the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements.

Pan Guoqiang, Party chief of Zhangjiagang, said that in recent years, the city has focused on the development of clusters for key industries. The Space Pioneer Intelligent Manufacturing Center will accelerate the development of Zhangjiagang's strategic emerging industries and inject new momentum into the development of China's aerospace industry.

Han Wei, mayor of Zhangjiagang, said that the city will work to improve its business environment and attract more high-quality projects.