Technology and industrial innovation in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region should be further strengthened, as it is projected to play a pioneering, demonstrating and radiating role in China's modernization, according to a new development plan approved by the State Council for the region.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, released on Wednesday its approval for YRD's territorial spatial plan for 2023-2035, which was drafted by the Ministry of Natural Resources.

The plan is the blueprint for the region's sustainable development and the basis for its various development, protection and construction activities. It is the first national-level spatial planning ever approved for the region including Shanghai and the nearby provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui.

The plan focuses on ensuring the spatial needs of key spaces such as the G60 S&T Innovation Valley and optimizing the layout for traditional industrial land along the Yangtze River and coastal areas. Traditional industries will be upgraded and relocated to northern parts of Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, as well as the riverside areas in Anhui in an orderly manner, according to the plan.

Shanghai is charged with taking a leading role in integrating its metropolitan area with neighboring cities such as Suzhou, Wuxi and Changzhou, while coordinating spatial planning with Nanjing, Hangzhou, Hefei and Ningbo to build a world-class city cluster, according to the plan.

The newly approved plan also states that coastal areas should further improve their functions as ports and shipping hubs. The deep-sea space should be orderly developed, unleashing the potential of marine areas, according to the plan.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, the marine economy in China's eastern coastal region, which is centered on the YRD, saw its total production value exceeding 3.34 trillion yuan ($470 billion) in 2024, setting a historic high and accounting for 11.9 percent of the regional GDP.

The new plan has also drawn clear boundaries for cultivated land area, ecological protection zones and total water consumption in the YRD.