In recent years, Huai'an City has coordinated efforts to foster five major RMB-100-billion leading industrial clusters at the municipal level while upgrading the quality of distinctive, competitive industries across its counties. From January to September this year, the output value of Huai'an's five major leading industrial clusters grew by 10.4% year on year, accounting for 73.4% of the city's above-designated-size industrial output. Meanwhile, the output value of the eight county-level distinctive, competitive industries included in the provincial catalog rose by 23.8% year on year, serving as a powerful engine driving steady economic progress and quality enhancement.

At the beginning of the year, Huai'an issued the Ten Opinions on Further Strengthening the Development of Distinctive and Competitive Industries, defining the development orientations for five RMB-100-billion leading industrial clusters—next-generation information technology, new energy, automobiles and auto parts, new materials, and food and healthcare—while proactively laying out future industries such as green hydrogen and 6G. Under this framework, Huai'an has clearly defined the industrial capacity positioning of each county and guided localities in formulating action plans under the principle of "one industry, one policy."

Huai'an has established a dynamic cultivation pool of chain-leading and backbone enterprises, mapped industrial chains around key leading enterprises, and compiled targeted investment attraction lists. By leveraging the attraction of chain master enterprises to draw upstream and downstream supporting businesses, the city is building an industrial ecosystem characterized by localized supporting facilities and efficient synergy. Simultaneously advancing technological empowerment, Huai'an has adopted R&D platforms and innovation teams as key benchmarks for project recruitment. Since the beginning of this year, 347 new technology-based projects have been signed, and 125 have commenced construction or operation.

Huai'an has consistently pursued an integrated approach to invigorating industries, strengthening counties, and enriching the people, promoting two-way empowerment between advanced manufacturing clusters and people-enriching distinctive industries. For example, the crayfish industry in Xuyi is shifting toward fine-breed cultivation and intensive processing to extend the industrial chain; Lianshui is delving deeply into the food and healthcare sector, leveraging King's Luck to drive digital transformation and open up new frontiers in specialty fruit and vegetable beverages and high-end aseptic beverages.