The 2025 Shaoxing Development Conference is held in Shaoxing, Zhejiang province, on Nov 29. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

Shaoxing in East China's Zhejiang province convened the 2025 Shaoxing Development Conference on Nov 29, bringing together more than 800 leading figures from science, education, industry, and finance, as well as overseas Shaoxing natives, to review the city's transformation and chart its next stage of growth.

During the event, the city released 10 landmark achievements from the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25) and held a forum with experts to look forward to the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30).

Over the past five years, Shaoxing's economic performance has accelerated rapidly. This year, the city's GDP is expected to exceed 900 billion yuan ($126.45 billion) for the first time. Output from industrial enterprises above a designated size is set to pass 1 trillion yuan. The per capita disposable income of Shaoxing has reached 75,000 yuan, placing the city among the top 10 nationwide in per capita disposable income.

A model of China's AS700D electric manned airship is displayed at a sideline exhibition of the 2025 Shaoxing Development Conference. [Photo provided to ezhejiang.gov.cn]

At the conference, the city signed 97 major industrial projects with a combined planned investment of 119.5 billion yuan. The projects focus on integrated circuits, biomedicine, low-altitude aviation, new materials, and intelligent equipment — all key areas aligned with Shaoxing's industrial upgrading goals.

One of the most notable agreements was a strategic cooperation deal between the Shaoxing municipal government and AI and intelligent speech giant iFlytek. Under the partnership, the two sides will integrate resources to develop a software industrial park, an industrialization base, and multiple application scenarios. The goal is to shape a Shaoxing-focused AI ecosystem that supports the city's digital transformation.