At the lower reach of the Yangtze estuary, Nanjing is the largest inland river harbour in China. Its geographical hinterland includes parts of four provinces (Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui and Jiangxi) of the lower Yangtze and about 12% of China’s total population. Close to Shanghai, with good rail and highway links between the two cities, it is part of the Yangtze Delta area where incomes rank the highest in China.

The Nanjing Economic Area – with a population of 63.8m. - includes Nanjing City (5,25m.) and more than 15 neighbouring towns. Jiangsu and Zhejiang are among the most economically developed provinces in China. However, Anhui and Jiangxi are comparatively poor. In other words, the market centred on and around Nanjing offers demand for both low and high-end products.

High average incomes place Nanjing among China’s 10 leading consumer cities and the municipal government has actively encouraged the development of both wholesale and retail markets in the city. Nanjing’s proximity to the Shanghai metropolis also facilitates support for technology as well as trade and financial services.

Infrastructure
There are complete road, railway, waterway and air transportation facilities around Nanjing and a modern telecommunications network is developing fast. Business development has been facilitated by the city’s gradual formation of a layout described as “ring outside, net inside and points connected”. Major road arteries include the Huning and Huhe highways: linking Shanghai to the east and Hefei and Wuhu to the west. There are also good north-south highway connections out of Nanjing.

Four main railroads: Jinpu, Huning, Ningtong and Ningxi all meet at Nanjing which is the main railway hub linking North China, East China, Central China and the Northwest. The Huning express railway, to Shanghai, is the busiest passenger and cargo railroad in China. The Ningtong railway connects the northern regions of Jiangsu province; the Ningxi railway passes through Hefei and Huainan and links to the Longhai railway in Henan and on to Xi’an while the Jinpu railway links Nanjing with Tianjin in Hebei Province. Although the huge growth in construction of railways and roads in recent years has meant a decline in the importance of waterway traffic, Nanjing’s river port, 98 kms. in length, is the largest inland port in China. It provides year-round deepwater berthing facilities for large seagoing vessels and its Xinshenxu area, linked to the Jinghu railway and the largest container facility for import / export cargo on the Yangtze, handles nearly 10m. tons a year. It is also the largest charcoal and oil harbour in East China. Nanjing port handled 55m. tons – of which 7m. were exports - in 1997.

Industry
In 1996, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Nanjing totalled US$471 billion accounting for 9.3% of that of the whole province. Its export markets include Japan, Hong Kong and Macao, Europe and America. Export markets in the Middle East, Africa and South America are being actively developed for a wide range of products.

While Anhui and Jiangxi are more dependent on agriculture, Jiangsu and Zhejiang are both major industrial provinces. Major industrial categories include electronics, telecommunication equipment, communications and transportation equipment, chemical raw material and chemical product, petroleum processing and smelting and machinery industry.

Human Resources
Nanjing has 30 institutions of higher learning as well as a number of key national and provincial laboratories and three engineering research centres. There are two scientific and technical development research centres and, overall, a solid base for the supply of human technical talent.