A bird's eye view of the Ningde-Gutian Highway. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Ningde has maintained robust economic momentum during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), with GDP projected to grow over 8 percent annually, the highest rate in Fujian province.

The city's economic output has crossed two consecutive 100-billion-yuan ($14.31-billion) thresholds, elevating its provincial economic share from 5.9 percent to 6.8 percent. This growth has propelled Ningde to fifth place within Fujian and secured its historic entry into China's top 100 cities.

Now ranked among the world's top 100 innovation clusters, Ningde currently leads Fujian in research and development annual growth at 29.5 percent. The city has also established global dominance in stainless steel and batteries for power, consumer, and energy storage sectors, earning Ningde a spot among China's top 100 advanced manufacturing hubs.

Enhanced connectivity, including the opening of the Ningde-Shangrao and Ningde-Gutian Highways, now enables 85 percent of towns to access highways within 30 minutes. This infrastructure has helped Ningde rank among the top 100 cities for talent attraction, particularly for professionals under 35.

Regarding high-level opening-up, Ningde has surpassed 150 billion yuan in foreign trade. This follows the launch of a national cross-border e-commerce pilot zone, the start of operations at the Ningde Bonded Logistics Center, and the expansion of Ningde Port, which recently added nine 10,000-metric-ton berths.