Zhangjiagang, a county-level city administered by Suzhou in East China's Jiangsu province, ranked second in the 2021 list of the top 100 most innovative counties in China released by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology during the recent 2021 China County Industrial Economic Development Forum.

Zhangjiagang also became a "Typical Case of High-quality Development of Industries in Chinese Counties".

The inclusion of the city on both lists was attributed to the strenuous efforts it has made to facilitate business incubation and the development of the digital economy and other emerging industries.

For example, the Shanghai-Zhangjiagang Innovation Center has attracted 17 new research and development institutions so far, including the ZK Nanotech ZJG Institute of Compound Semiconductors.

To boost the digital economy, Zhangjiagang has worked hard to promote digital transformation. Each year, more than 200 million yuan ($31.4 million) is allocated from municipal finance departments to reward and subsidize smart manufacturing projects. According to statistics, more than 400 intelligent transformation projects have been carried out over the past three years, with a total investment of more than 20 billion yuan.

In addition, a large number of emerging projects will be established in Zhangjiagang, contributing a lot to the formation of an advanced manufacturing cluster and a modern industrial system. They include the 5.6-billion-yuan Xinyi solar panel project, 4-billion-yuan Space Pioneer carrier rocket and engine production base, and $800-million DualShine 8K ultra-high-definition video intelligent manufacturing base.

A city official said that Zhangjiagang will continue to pursue high-quality development and promote reform and innovation.