In the latest released "15th Five Year Plan" outline, there is a striking statement that "enhances the radiation level of Hongqiao International Open Hub". What is Hongqiao International Open Hub? This is the economic and geographical center of the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, a pioneer in the deep integration of technological innovation and industrial innovation, and an important hub for promoting the linkage and circulation of domestic and international markets and resources. From an aerial view, with Shanghai Hongqiao International Central Business District as the core, the northward expansion belt extends to Suzhou, Jiangsu, and the southward expansion belt extends to Jiaxing, Zhejiang, covering 14 districts and counties in Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, with a total area of 7000 square kilometers. Over the past five years, the development goal of "Hongqiao International Open Hub has been basically completed" has been achieved as scheduled. The GDP of the "One Core, Two Belt" initiative has achieved a trillion yuan leap, increasing from 2.3 trillion yuan in 2020 to 3.3 trillion yuan in 2025, and the economic density has reached 4.9 times the average level of the Yangtze River Delta. With high economic density and high-quality development, Hongqiao International Open Hub is becoming a "rainbow bridge" for cities in the Yangtze River Delta to travel in both directions with the world. Looking at economic density: Hongqiao International Open Hub will grow into a trillion level city in 5 years. In 2021 and 2023, the national level has successively issued the "Overall Plan for the Construction of Hongqiao International Open Hub" and "Several Policy Measures to Promote the Further Upgrading of Hongqiao International Open Hub", marking the comprehensive establishment of the main framework of "Big Hongqiao" and "Four Beams and Eight Pillars". In the past five years, significant progress has been made in the construction of the "Great Hongqiao", with a new leap in comprehensive strength and a new breakthrough in radiation level. Based on 2020, the Hongqiao Development Index steadily rose to 133.4 by 2025, with an average annual growth rate of 6.7, delivering a satisfactory 'Hongqiao answer sheet'. In the past five years, the main economic indicators of Hongqiao International Central Business District have nearly doubled, the regional GDP has exceeded 200 billion yuan, and the number of corporate enterprises has increased from 49000 to nearly 100000. ”Kong Fu'an, Secretary of the Party Group and Executive Deputy Director of the Hongqiao International Central Business District Management Committee, said that with the continuous aggregation of production factors linking the world, the actual population will increase by over 88000 in 2025. Behind the encouraging data is a series of ongoing 'butterfly changes'. Recently, the 2026 Work Conference of the Coordination and Promotion Mechanism for the Construction of Hongqiao International Open Hub was held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province. This is the first time that the Work Conference of the Coordination and Promotion Mechanism has been held in a rotating city on the "Two Belt" initiative. At the meeting, officials from relevant regions came with "practical knowledge" and data, and left with full expectations - this is a vivid footnote to the acceleration of the integration of the Yangtze River Delta by the Hongqiao International Open Hub. At least 3400 people commute back and forth between Shanghai and Shanghai every day, helping to transform "two cities into one city" - this is a set of data shared by Shen Zhidong, Secretary of the Xiangcheng District Committee of Suzhou City, Jiangsu Province. In fact, the Hongqiao International Open Hub not only gathers visible urban passenger flows, but also flows quietly, empowering industries and innovation to move upwards with invisible capital and innovation flows. Taking Xiangcheng District as an example, it provides "integrated development" services through the integration of industry and innovation. Xiangcheng District has established an industrial fund with a paid in scale of 13.7 billion yuan in cooperation with Shanghai based capital such as SAIC Hengxu, Shanghai Jinpu, and Jiaoyin AIC. In the past five years, it has invested over 6 billion yuan in emerging industry projects in Xiangcheng. At the same time, by jointly establishing innovation research institutes with major universities such as Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Tongji University, a total of 95 technology cooperation projects have been carried out in the past five years, paving the way for the integration of industry and innovation through "Shanghai R&D+Xiangcheng transformation". In the southward expansion zone, Teng Mingya, Deputy Secretary of the Haining Municipal Party Committee and Mayor of Zhejiang Province, introduced that with the promotion of the construction of the Haihe Intermodal Freight System, the Haining section of the Beijing Hangzhou Grand Canal Second Channel has been completed and opened to navigation, achieving overall supervision with Shanghai Yangshan Port through "linkage unloading and treatment as one port". The annual throughput of inland container ships has reached 430000 TEUs, becoming an inland shipping center connecting the main and branch lines of northern Zhejiang. Seizing the opportunity for the development of low altitude economy, Haining has introduced special industrial policies in the field of low altitude economy, opened the first inter provincial low altitude bus route in the Yangtze River Delta, covering five counties and cities in Zhejiang and Shanghai. Looking at the quality of development: New quality productive forces are being "intensified", industries are accelerating their "takeoff", and the "one core, two belts" national advanced manufacturing cluster accounts for 31% of the Yangtze River Delta. In the past five years, nearly 1100 national level specialized, refined, special and new "little giant" enterprises have been added, and nearly 40000 high-tech enterprises have been added - this is a new scene of the "big science and technology innovation" of the Hongqiao International Open Hub. As the "core" of Hongqiao International Central Business District, it gathers about 24000 technology service industry enterprises and is regarded as the "scientific innovation engine" driving the high-quality development of Hongqiao International Open Hub. In just one year since its opening, the occupancy rate of Hongqiao International Low altitude Economy Industrial Park has exceeded 90%, and 15 upstream and downstream low altitude economy enterprises have become "neighbors" here. Wei Mengying, Industrial Director of Hongqiao International Low altitude Economy Industrial Park, said that the "good reputation" of the "chain owner enterprises" has fermented, and coupled with the natural convenient transportation conditions between the industrial park and the Yangtze River Delta region, it has formed an industrial synergy effect of "one enterprise leading one chain", gathering many low altitude economy enterprises with "research and development in Shanghai and production and manufacturing in the Yangtze River Delta". China Aerospace Times Electronics Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch is an "old friend" with the leading player in the domestic drone chip industry, Times Express. During a visit, Times Express, who was planning to build a research and development center in the Yangtze River Delta, learned that we were moving to an industrial park and immediately became interested. The next day, we specifically went for an on-site inspection and signed a contract for 2400 square meters of office space two to three weeks later, becoming our new 'neighbor'. "Zhang Chao, the technical director of China Aerospace Times Electronics Co., Ltd. Shanghai Branch, said that during the process of settling in the industrial park, the company enjoyed intimate door-to-door services from registration to landing. It was this' business environment story 'from the parties involved that moved Times Express. With the aggregation of upstream and downstream enterprises, the ecosystem of "upstream and downstream are the same" helps enterprises accelerate collaborative research and development. Zhang Chao said that in the past, the technology verification of new chips between the aerospace era and Time Speed Information required business trips and collaboration, often taking two to three weeks. Now, it only takes "going up three floors" to complete the verification in two to three hours. "The clustering of the industrial chain has truly formed a 'multiplier effect'. Not far from Hongqiao International Low altitude Economic Industrial Park, the research and development personnel of eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft) enterprise Tianlingke are busy. From the Shanghai office building, whether by high-speed rail or car, it takes about two hours to reach our Wuxi test flight base. The convenient transportation conditions allow our research and development to run faster. ”Lu Yi, co-founder of Tianlingke, said that Hongqiao's "well connected" transportation conditions not only radiate within the Yangtze River Delta, but also connect the world and empower industries to take off. "In the past two years, our office floors have expanded several times. In Hongqiao, there are many "Yangtze River Delta innovation stories" like this. Last July, the Shanghai Midea Global Innovation Park, with a total investment of over 7 billion yuan, was officially launched. A number of core innovation platforms, including the Humanoid Robot Innovation Center, Medical Research Institute, AI Research Institute's Embodied Intelligence Research Institute, and KUKA Robot R&D Center, were among the first to settle in, collaborating with more than 30 R&D centers at home and abroad for research and development. I chose Hongqiao in the hope of utilizing various convenient measures for international talents here to attract top overseas talents. ”Ren Xiao, the person in charge of park operations, introduced that in just 9 months, nearly 2000 R&D personnel have gathered here, and the R&D results have been quickly implemented in factories located in Suzhou, Wuxi and other places. The future R&D personnel scale of the park is expected to increase to 6000 to 8000 people. Among them, there are more than 7000 digital economy enterprises, more than 3600 automotive industry chain enterprises, more than 1000 new energy enterprises, and more than 50 low altitude economy industry chain enterprises... Kong Fu'an said that relying on its unique location and resource advantages, the business district has formed a virtuous cycle of "science and technology empowerment industry, industry feedback science and technology innovation", and the cross domain collaborative development paradigm of "Hongqiao R&D+Yangtze River Delta manufacturing+global application" provides fresh practical cases for cultivating and developing new quality productivity. Looking at the 'two-way rush': Hongqiao in the Yangtze River Delta is not only the world's Hongqiao, but also the best solution for us to achieve 'headquarters in Hongqiao, factories nationwide, and markets globally'. ”As the Chinese New Year of the Horse has just passed, Guo Xiangyang, the chairman of Baisikai New Energy (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., is busy without stopping. In April, the corporate headquarters will officially settle in Hongqiao International Central Business District, integrating core functions such as research and development innovation, supply chain management, strategic investment, and global operations. In Huai'an, Jiangsu, 400 kilometers away, the construction of a 380 acre renewable lithium demonstration base has entered a critical stage, making a sprint for production in July. Traveling between cities in the Yangtze River Delta, Guo Xiangyang has already felt the advantage of Hongqiao Business District facing the world. Settling in Hongqiao is not simply 1+1 greater than 2, but precisely attracts top R&D, finance, and management talents with an international ecosystem, especially in connecting with global capital, expanding overseas markets, and even further participating in international standard setting. More and more companies, such as Bawang Tea Lady, Weigao Group, Tianhe Solar, etc., regard Hongqiao as the best "starting point" for their global expansion. Entering Building G of Hongqiao Green Valley, the "Hongqiao Overseas Map" hangs on the wall of Hongqiao Overseas Development Service Center. Here, 18 core service sectors have been formed around the needs of enterprises at various stages of going global, integrated by services from 108 professional service providers. This "Hongqiao Overseas Comprehensive Service Network" links "100 partners, 100 countries, and 100 parks", and can also provide special connections through online consultation, offline docking, one-on-one coaching, and other forms, forming a "new model of group going global" of "one enterprise going global with N helpers". Wu Yunting, Chief Representative of the Shanghai Representative Office of the Singapore Institute of Chartered Accountants, stated that as an important platform for promoting bilateral economic exchanges between China and Singapore, the association provides professional service platforms and communication bridges for enterprises from both countries. "We actively support Chinese enterprises, especially those in the Yangtze River Delta region, to efficiently expand into the ASEAN market with Singapore as a hub. The Hongqiao International Central Legal Zone gathers 184 legal and general legal service institutions, covering law firms, arbitration, notarization, commercial mediation organizations, and more. The foreign-related notarization online application system we have established has processed foreign-related legal documents covering more than 10 countries including Germany, Italy, and Russia for enterprises such as Dongfulong. From cross-border investment and mergers and acquisitions to international commercial arbitration, the professional services of the legal department give enterprises a sense of confidence in going global, "said Liu Qiming, head of the Comprehensive Service Center of Hongqiao International Central Legal District. Kong Fu'an said that by integrating government services, public services, and professional services, Hongqiao Innovation has launched three lists of "policies, services, and overseas activities", built regional cooperation platforms such as "Huizhou Merchants Overseas Service Center" and "Suzhou Merchants Overseas Hongqiao Salon", and carried out strategic cooperation with the Zhejiang Merchants Association to create the first stop for "going global" services for enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta. Data shows that by 2025, Hongqiao Business District will hold 382 overseas activities, connecting nearly 9000 service enterprises, with 44% of enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta outside of Shanghai, forming a collaborative model of "Hongqiao services+Yangtze River Delta manufacturing+global market". Today's Hongqiao is different from the past, and the future Hongqiao is limitless. Looking ahead to the next five years, Hongqiao International Open Hub is striving to move from "basically built" to "fully built", heading towards the road of win-win with the world. (New Society)