During the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, Shanghai focused on its important mission of building an international economic center, financial center, trade center, shipping center, and technological innovation hub, achieving new leaps in comprehensive strength.

Further comprehensive deepening of reforms and expansion of opening-up. Since the “14th Five-Year Plan”, the Pudong Leading Area and the Pilot Free Trade Zone have synergized, with 9 foreign-funded enterprises approved for value-added telecommunications open pilot programs. Shanghai Port’s annual container throughput has ranked first in the world for 15 consecutive years. The construction of the financial center has been comprehensively deepened, forming complete infrastructure covering 15 financial要素 markets, making it one of the cities with the most complete global financial要素 markets. The international influence of “Shanghai Prices” continues to rise, becoming an important benchmark for global asset allocation.

Promoting deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation. Today, Shanghai has 57.9 high-value invention patents per 10,000 people, accelerating the construction of a modern industrial system. Breakthroughs have been made in major equipment such as the C919 large aircraft, domestically built cruise ships, and LNG vessels, forming four trillion-yuan industrial clusters in electronic information, life and health, automobiles, and high-end equipment. The output value of strategic emerging industries accounts for 43.6% of the total output value of industries above designated size.

Pudong Leading Area

The Pudong Leading Area is a special economic zone established in 1990 in Shanghai, China, as a flagship project of the country’s economic reform and opening-up policy. It transformed from farmland into a global financial hub, now famous for its iconic skyline featuring the Shanghai Tower and the Lujiazui financial district.

Pilot Free Trade Zone

The Pilot Free Trade Zone (FTZ) is a special economic zone established by the Chinese government, first launched in Shanghai in 2013, to test new economic policies and liberalize trade and investment regulations. It serves as an experimental ground for financial reforms, foreign investment management, and administrative innovations before they are potentially implemented nationwide. These zones are designed to boost international trade, attract foreign capital, and drive economic growth through more open market practices.

Shanghai Port

The Shanghai Port is one of the world’s busiest and most modern container ports, with a history dating back to the Song Dynasty. Its modern development accelerated in the 19th century when it opened to foreign trade and has since become a critical engine for China’s economic growth. Today, it is a vital global shipping hub, playing a central role in international maritime trade.

C919 large aircraft

The C919 is a narrow-body airliner developed by the Chinese state-owned aerospace manufacturer COMAC. Its development, launched in 2008, was a major national project intended to compete with aircraft like the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. The aircraft conducted its first flight in 2017 and entered commercial service with China Eastern Airlines in 2023.

domestically built cruise ships

Domestically built cruise ships represent a growing sector in naval engineering, where nations construct their own large passenger vessels to bolster economic sovereignty and tourism. This trend, gaining momentum in countries like China and Germany, often emerges from a desire to reduce reliance on foreign shipyards and showcase domestic industrial capability. While a relatively modern development compared to centuries of shipbuilding history, it reflects national pride and strategic investment in the maritime industry.

LNG vessels

LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) vessels are specialized cryogenic tankers designed to transport natural gas in its liquid form at -162°C (-260°F). The first commercial LNG vessel, the *Methane Pioneer*, began operation in 1959, proving the viability of transporting LNG by sea. These ships are a critical part of the global energy supply chain, enabling the efficient transport of natural gas across oceans from production sites to markets.