At the “Promoting High-quality Development” themed press briefing held this afternoon (December 25), Gu Jun, secretary general and executive director of the Yangtze River Delta Integration Demonstration Zone Council, deputy secretary general of the Shanghai Municipal Government and director of the Shanghai Municipal Development and Reform Commission, delivered a briefing on the construction and innovate development of the demonstration zone. Sun Shan, deputy director of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources, Zhang Qiao, deputy director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Science and Technology, Qi Shuwei, deputy director of the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Justice, Jin Xiaoming, deputy Party Secretary and acting chief of Qingpu District, Shanghai, Sun Jianjiang, deputy Party Secretary and district chief of Wujiang District, Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province, and Zhang Xifeng, deputy Party Secretary and chief of Jiashan County, Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province, attended the press briefing and answered questions from reporters.This year marks the sixth anniversary of the Yangtze River Delta’s integrated development being elevated to a national strategy and the fifth anniversary of the demonstration zone’s establishment. As the pioneering initiative and key breakthrough in this regional integration, the demonstration zone has delivered 154 institutional innovation achievements since its launch in November 2019, with 48 of them replicated and promoted nationwide. Over two rounds, it has advanced 180 key projects. From laying a solid foundation to comprehensive implementation and momentum-building, the demonstration zone now stands as a model of integrated and high-quality development.After five years of construction, the ecological foundation of the demonstration zone has become stronger. Since its establishment, the proportion of surface water rated as Class III or above has significantly increased from 75% to 98.1%, and the water quality of the “One River and Three Lakes" has reached the planned 2025 target ahead of schedule. The economic growth has gained stronger momentum. In 2023, the GDP of the two districts and one county totaled 472.5 billion yuan, while the total industrial output value of enterprises above designated size reached 872.9 billion yuan, marking average annual increases of 5.94% and 8.19% respectively compared with 2019. The intensity of R&D funding rose to 4.2%, exceeding the average levels of the three provinces and one municipality in the Yangtze River Delta and the national average. The region now boasts 3,319 national high-tech enterprises. People’s livelihood and welfare have been further improved. The construction of the “demonstration zone on rails” has accelerated. A total of 531 medical institutions designated by medical insurance and 926 pharmacies now support cross-provincial medical insurance settlement. Nine inter-provincial “dead-end roads” have been opened to traffic, and eight inter-provincial bus routes have carried over 3.846 million passengers. More than 3,500 cross-provincial administrative matters can now be handled online, with a cumulative total of 116,000 cases processed.Over the past five years, we have prioritized regional integrated development, steadfastly advanced reform and innovation, and consistently amplified the demonstration effect. We have thoroughly cultivated the “experimental field” of institutional innovation, establishing a robust workflow that integrates “promoting institutional innovation, implementing reform authorizations, and accelerating replication and promotion.”First, deepen institutional innovation. This year, 18 new institutional innovation achievements were launched, focusing on key areas. We strengthened planning guidance, establishing a comprehensive “1+1+N+X” national territorial space planning system and mechanisms such as examination and evaluation of the implementation of the national territorial space master plan, thus realizing “one blueprint for the whole region.” Prioritizing green development, we enhanced joint protection and co-governance of cross-regional water bodies, implemented unifications of ecological environment standards, monitoring, and law enforcement, and constructed multiple pillars for the ecological protection system. We piloted paid use and trading of volatile organic compound emission rights. Emphasizing co-construction and sharing, we released five batches comprising 63 public service co-construction and sharing project lists. The national “grand strategy” has translated into tangible “happiness” for the people in the demonstration zone. Second, implement reform authorization. The Office of the Central Leading Group for Coordinated Regional Development issued two batches of reform authorization item lists, granting the demonstration zone autonomy over 18 reform items. Of these, seven items have been undertaken and implemented, including three, such as “deepening the coordinated reform between environmental impact assessment during planning phase and project environmental impact assessment for industrial parks,” which have already delivered their first successful cases. Third, establish quarterly releases. This year, the Office of the Central Leading Group for Coordinated Regional Development guided the demonstration zone in creating a mechanism for regularly summarizing and releasing institutional innovation results. In the first three quarters, a total of 10 achievements across three fields were released, providing a replicable model for other regions.Over the past five years, we have focused on key areas, accelerated project construction, and consistently advanced high-quality development. Two rounds of three-year action plans for major construction projects have been implemented. First, ensure construction progress. Water Town Living Room and Square Hall Water Courtyard has taken shape and is slated for completion and use next year. The western extension of Shanghai Metro Line 17 has been completed and is operational, while the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou High-speed Railway will officially open tomorrow (December 26). Yuandang has achieved the full connection of its 23-kilometer shoreline. Projects with Innoscience, Everest Medicines, and the Qingpu Branch of the Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University have been completed and are operational. Construction is also advancing rapidly on key projects like the demonstration zone data center cluster, Hengli Yangtze River Delta International New Materials Park, and Jiaxing Hospital of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. Second, foster resource agglomeration. We have established the nation’s first cross-provincial high-tech zone, launched an investment and development fund for the demonstration zone, and continuously attracted advantageous resources. Initiatives such as cross-regional application of provincial and municipal talent programs, 16 financial measures, and 20 digital economy policies have been launched. Over 400 second-level construction engineers have achieved mutual recognition of professional qualifications. The “E-Enterprise Financing” credit platform has granted 1,120 cross-regional loans totaling 5.768 billion yuan. A smart platform has linked 18 data channels across the two provinces and one municipality, consolidating 291 data resources. As a result, the flow of talent, capital, technology, and data is now more seamless than ever. Third, cultivate functional capabilities. Huawei’s Lianqiu Lake R&D Center in Qingpu is now operational, Suzhou South Railway Station in Wujiang will open on December 26, and the Xiangfu Dang Innovation Center in Jiashan has attracted over 800 R&D personnel. We focused on the functional layout of the Water Town Living Room, planning the operation of the Square Hall Water Courtyard, exploring cross-regional collaborative industrial policies, and striving to foster and develop new quality productive forces.Over the past five years, we have prioritized optimizing and enhancing institutions and mechanisms, steadfastly advanced task implementation, fostered construction synergy, strengthened coordination and collaboration, and promoted integrated efforts, continually opening new chapters in the development of the demonstration zone.The Office of the Central Leading Group for Coordinated Regional Development formulated three-year action plans for the construction of the demonstration zone and outlined annual key construction tasks. In collaboration with the two provinces and one city, it convened an annual work promotion meeting for the demonstration zone, effectively guiding task implementation. The People’s Congresses of the two provinces and one municipality jointly legislated and issued regulations to support the high-quality development of the demonstration zone. Together, they released two batches of 39 supporting policies and established two rounds of special fiscal funding for the pilot areas. The demonstration zone council fully exercised its role as a decision-making platform for major issues, with 64 member units jointly advancing the zone’s construction. The demonstration zone executive committee took the lead in driving progress, while Qingpu, Wujiang, and Jiashan each leveraged their unique strengths and worked in close coordination, ensuring the demonstration zone consistently delivered new achievements.