Nanjing's new party secretary wants to build an airport, cross-city highways and railways, and add two bridges and two tunnels across the Yangtze River that runs through the city, to enhance its competitiveness.
Zhu Shanlu, appointed in February, also vowed to transform Nanjing into a hi-tech hub and a service centre for the river delta when he outlined his city vision to international journalists on Friday.
The plan would develop the part of the city north of the Yangtze, an idea modelled on Shanghai's Pudong development, which turned barren land into a financial and hi-tech hub.
Mr Zhu said none of the projects would be done at the expense of the environment. He said he wanted Nanjing, the capital of wealthy Jiangsu province , to become an ecological city because a clean and green living environment was crucial to attracting talent.
'Nanjing will be a hi-tech hub of the delta area, of the nation and the world,' Mr Zhu said. 'Many multinationals have started moving their research and development centres to Nanjing from Beijing and Shanghai because costs in the two cities are too high.'
But he stopped short of saying how his bold vision would fit in with the delta's development as a whole.
Shanghai's Pudong International Airport opened a new terminal just two days before Mr Zhu announced his plans for a new airport.
