From 'Gateway to Shanghai' to 'Hub' of the Delta

Qingpu District is emerging as a hub in the Yangtze River Delta region while also contributing to strategic development at the national level.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), seizing major opportunities including the China International Import Expo, the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region, the Hongqiao International Open Hub and the construction of Qingpu New City, the district has evolved from the "gateway to Shanghai" to the "hub and gateway" of the Yangtze River Delta city agglomeration, showing the simultaneous upgrading of industrial competitiveness and innovation efficiency.

During this period, Qingpu actively promoted collaboration between industries and technology, resulting in the establishment of a modern industrial system.

A set of data outlines the trajectory of high-quality development. The district has gathered 109 headquarters enterprises and 38 listed companies.

High-quality development

The share of output from new and important industries in the total output of designated industrial companies in Qingpu has gone up by 12.5 percentage points since the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.

The annual average growth rate of its R&D investment over the past five years has reached as high as 19.2 percent, exceeding 6.5 billion yuan (US$923.25 million) in 2024. The import and export volume of cross-border e-commerce from January to October this year reached 8.29 billion yuan, ranking first in Shanghai.

Innovation has become the most distinctive hallmark of Qingpu. The digital engine is accelerating rapidly. The new-generation information technology industry has achieved leaping progress, doubling its scale in five years, with the expected revenue exceeding 100 billion yuan this year.

The major projects like the Huawei Lianqiuhu R&D Center, the Shanghai Midea Global Innovation Park and the NetEase Shanghai International Cultural and Creative Technology Park, which focus on integrated circuit design, equipment, electronic modules, intelligent terminals and software, are now up and running, helping to bring together businesses at all levels of the industry.

The Beidou navigation industry, which once focused on niche segments, has evolved into a national-level characteristic industrial cluster for small and medium-sized enterprises, fostering several industry leaders.

Over the past five years, the number of large enterprises has increased by more than 90 percent, with an average annual revenue growth rate exceeding 25 percent. This year, the revenue is expected to exceed 400 billion yuan, making them the "locomotive" driving regional economic growth.