Jiangsu Province, located on the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, ranked up the second highest GDP growth in China last year, expanding by 7.8% year-on-year. Much of the investment flowing into Jiangsu stems from Hong Kong, which enjoys close economic and trade ties with the province.

To explore what opportunities are untapped in the province, the Chamber’s China Committee Chairman PC Yu led a 22-member delegation to Yangzhou, Huaian and Taizhou, key cities in Jiangsu Province, from October 24-27.

Yangzhou, a key city in the Shanghai economic circle and Nanjing metropolitan circle, is renowned for being an automobile and auto parts cluster. The delegation visited Porite Yangzhou Technology & Industry Co Ltd, a joint venture between Hong Kong and the Mainland specializing in auto parts production, in the Yangzhou economic development zone.

Huaian, a major city in northern Jiangsu, is the hometown of Zhou Enlai, the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China, and also regarded as the home of Huaiyang cuisine. Standing at the junction of the ancient Huai River and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, Huaian is known as the canal capital of China, and has a rich trading history dating back more than 2,200 years.

“Huaian embodies a unique integration of features of southern and northern China – as a geographical boundary, a climate transition zone and a cultural intersection between the north and the south of China. This has allowed the city to develop its own distinct canal culture,” Cai Lixin, Acting Mayor of Huaian, told members.

Delegates visited Gangfa PV Power Station, an investment project by CLP Group in Huaian. The power station, which has been in operation since June, integrates agriculture and fishery with solar power generation, supplying clean energy to Jiangsu’s power grid. Chan Siu Hung, Managing Director-China of CLP Holdings Limited, one of the members who joined the trip, pointed out that with the strong support and assistance from the Huaian Municipal Government, the power station went through a very smooth process from initial planning to going online.

Taizhou, situated in central Jiangsu, has nurtured some of China’s outstanding artists, including Mei Langang and Zheng Banqiao, over the past 2,000 years. It has also developed a range of specialized industries.

For example, China Medical City (CMC), covering approximately 30 square kilometers, is China’s first national-level high-tech medical zone. It aims to establish itself as the state’s largest biomedical industrial base with the most comprehensive industrial chain. At present, some 800 local and foreign pharmaceutical enterprises have set up operations in the zone. A representative of the CMC said while the number of Hong Kong companies in the zone has remained low, he believes the sound support facilities and preferential policies available there will help win more Hong Kong investment.

Mission leader PC Yu said with their picturesque terrains and rich cultural charm, Yangzhou, Huaian and Taizhou have great potential to develop cultural tourism and attract more Hong Kong visitors.

During the four-day mission, members also called on Yu Ting, Deputy Mayor of Yangzhou; Qu Futian, Party Secretary of the CPC’s Taizhou Municipal Committee; and Yang Jie, Deputy Mayor of Taizhou, to find out more about the local government’s economic development plans.