New Yangtze River Delta Three-Year Action Plan: Accelerate Low-Altitude Infrastructure, R&D and Manufacturing
2024/07/29
On July 25, the Yangtze River Delta Regional Cooperation Office held a press conference on the Three-Year Action Plan for Integrated Development of the Yangtze River Delta Region (2024–2026). The plan was formally released, setting a roadmap and task list for the region’s priorities over the next three years.
Across nine areas totaling 165 key tasks, the new plan embeds the idea of an “effective market and proactive government.” In jointly building world-class industrial clusters in the Yangtze River Delta, it explicitly supports low-altitude economy development and general aviation, and calls for accelerating layout of low-altitude industrial infrastructure, product R&D, and manufacturing; advancing future industries in a coordinated way; jointly seeking national future-industry pioneer zones; and jointly publishing application scenarios and typical cases for future products. Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui will explore a joint fundamental research fund for the Delta, accelerate the G60 satellite internet industry cluster, study the formation of a Delta rail transit operating company, explore cross-regional emissions trading, and establish a system for reporting and collecting cases that breach the market access negative list, among other measures.
First, strengthen cross-regional science and technology innovation collaboration—20 key tasks, including deeper cooperation between the Zhangjiang and Hefei comprehensive national science centers; support for regional innovation centers in Nanjing and Hangzhou–Ningbo; deeper fundamental research cooperation and a joint fund for interdisciplinary work; innovation consortia around major missions; more flexible policies for new R&D institutions; deeper layout of national technology innovation centers; cross-regional talent evaluation and qualification recognition; Delta-wide interconnectivity of science and technology innovation vouchers; encouraging Fortune Global 500 companies and leading international research institutions to set up R&D centers and joint labs; and advancing Delta–Singapore and Delta–Finland industrial innovation projects.
Second, jointly build world-class industrial clusters—20 key tasks, including high-quality development actions for key manufacturing chains and a shared NEV industrial chain; support for the low-altitude economy and general aviation with faster layout of infrastructure, R&D, and manufacturing; coordinated future-industry development and joint national pioneer zones; accelerating two data center clusters (the Integrated Development Demonstration Zone cluster and the Wuhu cluster); and speeding up G60 Sci-Tech Innovation Corridor industry–innovation integration and the G60 satellite internet cluster.
Third, improve institutions and mechanisms for integrated development—25 key tasks, including deepening “one-stop” government services across the Delta, promoting remote virtual windows for cross-province handling, innovating cross-province “one matter” integrated services, advancing health information interconnectivity and mutual recognition of medical tests, optimizing cross-region medical insurance services, studying a Delta rail transit operating company, promoting a multimodal transport center for the Yangtze Economic Belt, unifying cross-regional legal and policy application standards, strengthening the Regional Cooperation Office, and improving full-lifecycle management of demonstration-zone territorial spatial plans.
Fourth, raise the level of regional market integration—23 key tasks, including market regulation measures to serve a unified national market pilot zone, unified market access norms for investment enterprises, a reporting system for negative-list breaches, a regional logistics quality-and-cost action plan, a “rail-on-the-Delta” network with major loop trains linking key cities, more distinctive inland waterway development, regional financial integration services, fiscal e-invoice integration, and interprovincial power mutual aid.
Fifth, advance high-level coordinated opening-up—22 key tasks, including special measures to ease market access in the Pudong New Area, pilot bunkering of new marine fuels for international vessels, supporting Hongqiao CBD as a Silk Road e-commerce pioneer zone, stronger linkage between the CIIE and local exhibitions, differentiated FTZ exploration in bulk commodities and biomedicine, a Delta Belt and Road High-Quality Development Promotion Association, and stronger legal safeguards for private enterprise participation in economic policymaking.
Sixth, strengthen joint ecological and environmental protection—17 key tasks, including seamless alignment of ecological conservation red lines, continuing the Yangtze “ten-year fishing ban,” coordinated estuary–bay governance for the Yangtze Estuary–Hangzhou Bay, a new round of Taihu Basin water environment treatment, a Delta “zero-waste city” co-governance plan, a green low-carbon supply chain public service platform, green manufacturing and low/zero-carbon parks and factories, a new energy system plan with large-scale green storage and East China pumped storage bases, shared NEV charging infrastructure data, and cross-regional emissions trading.
Seventh, explore building a modern civilization of the Chinese nation—10 key tasks, including hosting the Liangzhu Forum, participating in major projects such as Tracing the Origins of Chinese Civilization and Archaeology China, supporting joint World Heritage bids for Jiangnan water towns, advancing Yangtze and Grand Canal national cultural parks, developing interconnected red tourism and archaeology- and event-themed travel routes, a new Delta sports industry integration plan, building the Greater Huangshan world-class leisure and wellness destination, and taking outstanding cultural works, heritage, and tourism products overseas.
Eighth, expand the breadth and depth of city cooperation—15 key tasks, including cooperating with the Ministry of Natural Resources on Delta territorial spatial planning, jointly preparing the Shanghai Metropolitan Area territorial spatial master plan, promoting coordinated development among the Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Hefei, Ningbo, and Suzhou–Wuxi–Changzhou metropolitan areas in industrial division of labor, sci-tech collaboration, and high-level opening-up, deepening Suzhou–Shanghai and Jiaxing–Shanghai integration, and accelerating resilient, safe city construction.
Across nine areas totaling 165 key tasks, the new plan embeds the idea of an “effective market and proactive government.” In jointly building world-class industrial clusters in the Yangtze River Delta, it explicitly supports low-altitude economy development and general aviation, and calls for accelerating layout of low-altitude industrial infrastructure, product R&D, and manufacturing; advancing future industries in a coordinated way; jointly seeking national future-industry pioneer zones; and jointly publishing application scenarios and typical cases for future products. Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui will explore a joint fundamental research fund for the Delta, accelerate the G60 satellite internet industry cluster, study the formation of a Delta rail transit operating company, explore cross-regional emissions trading, and establish a system for reporting and collecting cases that breach the market access negative list, among other measures.
First, strengthen cross-regional science and technology innovation collaboration—20 key tasks, including deeper cooperation between the Zhangjiang and Hefei comprehensive national science centers; support for regional innovation centers in Nanjing and Hangzhou–Ningbo; deeper fundamental research cooperation and a joint fund for interdisciplinary work; innovation consortia around major missions; more flexible policies for new R&D institutions; deeper layout of national technology innovation centers; cross-regional talent evaluation and qualification recognition; Delta-wide interconnectivity of science and technology innovation vouchers; encouraging Fortune Global 500 companies and leading international research institutions to set up R&D centers and joint labs; and advancing Delta–Singapore and Delta–Finland industrial innovation projects.
Second, jointly build world-class industrial clusters—20 key tasks, including high-quality development actions for key manufacturing chains and a shared NEV industrial chain; support for the low-altitude economy and general aviation with faster layout of infrastructure, R&D, and manufacturing; coordinated future-industry development and joint national pioneer zones; accelerating two data center clusters (the Integrated Development Demonstration Zone cluster and the Wuhu cluster); and speeding up G60 Sci-Tech Innovation Corridor industry–innovation integration and the G60 satellite internet cluster.
Third, improve institutions and mechanisms for integrated development—25 key tasks, including deepening “one-stop” government services across the Delta, promoting remote virtual windows for cross-province handling, innovating cross-province “one matter” integrated services, advancing health information interconnectivity and mutual recognition of medical tests, optimizing cross-region medical insurance services, studying a Delta rail transit operating company, promoting a multimodal transport center for the Yangtze Economic Belt, unifying cross-regional legal and policy application standards, strengthening the Regional Cooperation Office, and improving full-lifecycle management of demonstration-zone territorial spatial plans.
Fourth, raise the level of regional market integration—23 key tasks, including market regulation measures to serve a unified national market pilot zone, unified market access norms for investment enterprises, a reporting system for negative-list breaches, a regional logistics quality-and-cost action plan, a “rail-on-the-Delta” network with major loop trains linking key cities, more distinctive inland waterway development, regional financial integration services, fiscal e-invoice integration, and interprovincial power mutual aid.
Fifth, advance high-level coordinated opening-up—22 key tasks, including special measures to ease market access in the Pudong New Area, pilot bunkering of new marine fuels for international vessels, supporting Hongqiao CBD as a Silk Road e-commerce pioneer zone, stronger linkage between the CIIE and local exhibitions, differentiated FTZ exploration in bulk commodities and biomedicine, a Delta Belt and Road High-Quality Development Promotion Association, and stronger legal safeguards for private enterprise participation in economic policymaking.
Sixth, strengthen joint ecological and environmental protection—17 key tasks, including seamless alignment of ecological conservation red lines, continuing the Yangtze “ten-year fishing ban,” coordinated estuary–bay governance for the Yangtze Estuary–Hangzhou Bay, a new round of Taihu Basin water environment treatment, a Delta “zero-waste city” co-governance plan, a green low-carbon supply chain public service platform, green manufacturing and low/zero-carbon parks and factories, a new energy system plan with large-scale green storage and East China pumped storage bases, shared NEV charging infrastructure data, and cross-regional emissions trading.
Seventh, explore building a modern civilization of the Chinese nation—10 key tasks, including hosting the Liangzhu Forum, participating in major projects such as Tracing the Origins of Chinese Civilization and Archaeology China, supporting joint World Heritage bids for Jiangnan water towns, advancing Yangtze and Grand Canal national cultural parks, developing interconnected red tourism and archaeology- and event-themed travel routes, a new Delta sports industry integration plan, building the Greater Huangshan world-class leisure and wellness destination, and taking outstanding cultural works, heritage, and tourism products overseas.
Eighth, expand the breadth and depth of city cooperation—15 key tasks, including cooperating with the Ministry of Natural Resources on Delta territorial spatial planning, jointly preparing the Shanghai Metropolitan Area territorial spatial master plan, promoting coordinated development among the Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Hefei, Ningbo, and Suzhou–Wuxi–Changzhou metropolitan areas in industrial division of labor, sci-tech collaboration, and high-level opening-up, deepening Suzhou–Shanghai and Jiaxing–Shanghai integration, and accelerating resilient, safe city construction.