A total of 63 projects worth 24.5 billion ($3.5 billion) is expected to be launched in Zhangjiagang to fuel the city's economic development.

The groundbreaking ceremony for 50 of the projects with an investment of 17.6 billion yuan was held on Feb 13, with advanced manufacturing projects in the majority.

The Fanchuang intelligent optical and video industry base project, located at the Zhangjiagang Free Trade Zone with an investment of two billion yuan, is mainly engaged in developing optical products for automobiles, intelligent lighting systems, face recognition and public-security video monitoring.

The project will be put into operation in the second half of 2020. It was expected to make an annual sale of more than five billion yuan and create over 2,000 job posts.

A high-tech project featuring biotechnology genetic engineering was signed aiming to produce gene sequencing of animal samples and advanced antibiotic free aquaculture products.

The company is committed to solving the problem of replacing antibiotics in the domestic animal breeding market. With an investment of 650 million yuan, the sales value of the project is expected to reach one billion.

Chuangshun Innovation Valley project should develop into a comprehensive industry park featuring complete industrial chains and public facilities.

At present, the number of companies in the park has reached 28, covering high-end equipment manufacturing, medical devices, scientific and technological services and other industries.