Press Release for Media Briefing of the Shanghai Municipal Government on October 21, 2025

2025.10.21

On the morning of today (October 21), the Information Office of Shanghai Municipality held the eighth press briefing in Shanghai’s “14th Five-Year Plan Achievements” series under the banner “Delivering Solid Results through Action, Advancing the New Blueprint.” With a focus on the theme of “Striving to Create a Strong Magnet for Opening-up and Innovation and a New Landmark for Industry-City Integration,” Lu Fangzhou, Secretary of the CPC Minhang District Committee, introduced the construction and development achievements of Minhang District during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Wu Qiang, deputy Party Secretary and district chief, Zhang Xiaowen, deputy director of the Minhang District Development and Reform Commission, Wu Changfei, director of the Minhang District Commission of Science and Technology, Zhou Xiaoqing, director of the Minhang District Commission of Transport, and Yang Yongjian, director of the Minhang District Housing Administration, attended the press briefing and answered questions from reporters. Located at the geographic heart of Shanghai, Minhang District serves as a strategic bridgehead linking the Yangtze River Delta and a key hub in the city’s global reach. Driven by innovation and openness, and guided by a balanced focus on ecological and human-centered development, Minhang is committed to building a livable and safe urban environment. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the district recorded a GDP exceeding 400 billion yuan and fiscal revenue of over 90 billion yuan, both ranking second citywide. R&D spending accounted for about 8% of GDP, the highest in Shanghai. Recognized as “China’s Happiest Urban District” for two consecutive years, Minhang has, over the past five years, strengthened its development foundations, consolidated its advantages, and unlocked new growth potential.1.Driving transformation and upgrading to new heights of high-quality industrial developmentAs one of Shanghai’s traditional manufacturing powerhouses, Minhang is fully committed to advancing industrial transformation and building a modern, innovation-driven industrial system.First, enhancing economic scale and structure. In 2024, the district’s regional GDP reached 411.9 billion yuan, a 60.6% increase from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan, with the tertiary sector accounting for 73.5% of the total. Strategic emerging industries contributed 52.6% of the total industrial output above designated size, 9 percentage points higher than the city average. By the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, tax revenue per square kilometer in industrial parks is projected to reach 1.65 billion yuan.Second, strengthening leading industries. Minhang is fostering three 100-billion-yuan industrial clusters: advanced energy equipment and green low-carbon industries, aerospace, and biomedicine. The Shanghai Advanced Energy Equipment Industrial Cluster has taken shape, forming a complete ecosystem spanning R&D, manufacturing, and application. The “Aerospace Minhang” brand continues to grow, as major commercial rocket and satellite projects take root, building a full “rocket–satellite–terminal–service” value chain. In the biopharmaceutical sector, Minhang plays a key role in Shanghai’s innovation landscape, advancing a strategic layout of “innovation in the south, R&D in the north, and manufacturing in the east.”Third, building momentum for future industries. The district is actively cultivating future energy, future space, and future health sectors. It is accelerating landmark projects such as fusion energy and the CATL Future Energy Research Institute, while attracting leading low-altitude economy enterprises including Volant and TcabTech. Construction has also begun on Shanghai’s first elderly care technology park and China’s first brain–computer interface industry cluster.2.Deepening openness and empowerment: advancing the Hongqiao International Opening-up Hub to new heightsDuring the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Minhang is seizing the historic opportunity presented by the elevation of the Hongqiao International Opening-up Hub to a national strategy. The district is promoting two-way empowerment between openness and development, striving to build an international gateway connecting the Yangtze River Delta and a strategic bridgehead supporting enterprises in their global expansion.First, enhancing business concentration. The Minhang section of the Hongqiao International Central Business District now hosts nearly 28,000 enterprises, including 275 headquarters-type companies. Tax revenue reached 10.9 billion yuan in 2024, 1.2 times higher than at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. The Hongqiao Human Resources Service Industrial Park has been upgraded to a national-level park, while the Hongqiao International Central Legal Services District has been designated as a municipal demonstration zone for service industry innovation and development. Together, they accommodate 289 human resources firms and 178 legal services institutions. With the addition of institutions such as the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Advanced Institute of Finance and the Hongqiao Lixin Accounting Center, the district’s high-end professional services ecosystem continues to expand and mature.Second, upgrading trade platforms for greater quality and efficiency. Minhang is leveraging the spillover effects of the China International Import Expo (CIIE) to deepen the development of the “Silk Road E-Commerce” pilot zone and vigorously promote digital, offshore, and services trade. The Hongqiao Import Commodity Exhibition and Trading Center now showcases 85,000 products from 120 countries and regions, creating a “never-ending CIIE.” The Hongqiao Business District Bonded Logistics Center (Type B) accounts for over 40% of Shanghai’s cross-border e-commerce import sales, ranking first in the city for two consecutive years.Third, expanding domestic and international connectivity. Minhang has established strategic partnerships with more than 10 cities in the Yangtze River Delta, including Suzhou and Hefei, and is developing a headquarters cluster for private enterprises in the region. A high-standard pilot zone has been launched to support companies’ global outreach. The Hongqiao Overseas Development Service Center now provides 90 one-stop services for both “going global” and “entering China,” serving more than 3,500 enterprises. Meanwhile, the China-Europe Railway Express (Shanghai), departing from Minhang, operates routes linking China with Europe, Russia, and Central Asia. To date, it has run over 300 trains, carrying cargo worth more than 10 billion yuan.3.Stimulating innovation vitality: new breakthroughs in the development of the Greater Neo Bay Science and Technology Innovation Functional ZoneMinhang is deeply advancing the innovation-driven development strategy and accelerating the creation of the Greater Neo Bay Science and Technology Innovation Functional Zone, unleashing powerful momentum for high-quality innovation.First, strengthening the source of innovation. The district continues to enhance its national strategic scientific and technological capabilities, now home to 39 national-level research platforms. It is deepening comprehensive cooperation with universities, supporting Shanghai Jiao Tong University and East China Normal University in building basic research pilot zones. Local research institutes have actively participated in major national projects such as the Mengtian Module, Chang’e 6, and Shenzhou 20. Since the start of the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Minhang has received 13 National Science and Technology Awards and 210 Shanghai Science and Technology Awards. It has also nurtured 119 national-level “Little Giant” enterprises and 1,665 specialized and sophisticated enterprises at or above the municipal level, ranking first citywide.Second, accelerating commercialization of scientific achievements. The district is vigorously advancing the national demonstration zone for the transfer and transformation of scientific and technological achievements, helping more innovations move from the lab to the marketplace. Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s technology transfer value reached 1.719 billion yuan in 2024, ranking first among Chinese universities for two consecutive years, with the total market value of its “Sunshine” technology-based enterprises exceeding 120 billion yuan. East China Normal University’s technology transfer value reached 476 million yuan, a 115-fold increase from the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. Through the Shanghai International Technology Market, the district has established 32 international technology transfer channels, identified over 6,000 technology needs, and served more than 3,000 enterprises.Third, optimizing the innovation ecosystem. Focused on upgrading the “mass entrepreneurship and innovation” environment, Minhang is fostering a “tropical rainforest-style” innovation ecosystem. A number of technology innovation platforms, such as the Vi Park and Longfor Blue Engine Danshui Innovation Park, have been established. National university science parks at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and East China Normal University are fully operational, while incubators like the Greater Neo Bay Science and Technology Innovation Incubator are developing rapidly. Minhang has been among the first districts recognized as a national demonstration zone for building a strong city through intellectual property, and for three consecutive years has been designated a central government-supported inclusive finance demonstration zone. It has built a cluster of parent and subsidiary funds totaling “tens of billions in capital and hundreds of billions in value.” With facilities such as the Tiangong Home – Scientist Innovation Service Center now in place, a dynamic, open, and shared science and technology innovation district is taking shape.4.Cultivating a people-oriented mindset: giving the modern urban core a new lookFocusing on building a district that is comfortable to live in, safe to settle in, and warm to belong to, Minhang is enriching urban development with deeper meaning, greater inclusiveness, and stronger well-being, adding a human touch to the city’s modernization journey.First, prioritizing livability and security. Minhang has always placed people’s aspirations for a safe and comfortable home at the forefront. The district is accelerating the urban renewal, old housing redevelopment, and urban village transformation, completing the renovation of 550,000 square meters of non-self-contained housing and the renovation of 2.4 million square meters of old housing under the “Beautiful Homes” initiative. It has eliminated unsafe old prefabricated concrete housing with poor sanitation ahead of schedule, advanced the full renovation of seven “urban villages,” and supplied 71,000 units of affordable rental housing. The “Home for Urban Builders and Managers of the New Era” now offers over 8,000 beds. These initiatives ensure that everyone who lives and works in Minhang can enjoy comfort, dignity, and peace of mind.Second, ensuring high-quality and balanced public services. Minhang is expanding access to top-tier education, healthcare, and elderly care resources. Nine education groups and 14 school districts have been established, while municipal-level top-tier medical institutions continue to settle in the district. Fourteen community hospitals have achieved full CT coverage, the first in the city, ensuring quality medical care close to home. The elderly care system has been strengthened with 17,552 beds, 110 community comprehensive service centers, and 194 dining facilities, meeting seniors’ growing aspirations for a better life. Green development is also a defining feature of Minhang’s transformation: 121 new parks and 488 hectares of green space have been added, with 40 city parks now open 24 hours a day, making “green from every window and a park at every corner” a new way of life.Third, fostering a more caring model of urban governance. Minhang integrates whole-process people’s democracy into urban modernization, following the principle that “public affairs are resolved through consultation.” Platforms such as the People’s City Discussion Hall ensure that every practical initiative reflects the voices and wisdom of residents. The district continues to develop its “15-minute employment service circle,” establishing two “enjoyable employment spaces” in the north and south, along with six gig markets and 61 community employment stations, offering citizens diverse paths to full and flexible employment. Meanwhile, 74 support facilities and 416 rest stations for delivery workers as well as 108 “Love Relay Stations” now support over 500,000 newly employed workers, keeping the warmth of Party building alive and tangible at the grassroots level.Looking ahead to the 15th Five-Year Plan, under the strong leadership of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Shanghai Municipal Government, Minhang will actively align with national strategies and make concerted efforts to build itself into an international opening-up hub and gateway, a center of scientific and technological innovation, a highland for emerging high-quality industries, and a model for the people’s city. The district will strive to make new contributions to Shanghai’s journey toward a modern, socialist and international metropolis with global influence.