Zhangjiagang will strive to improve people’s living standards and promote high-quality development in 2020, said Pan Guoqiang, the city’s mayor, when delivering a work report at the fourth session of the 14th Zhangjiagang Municipal People's Congress on Jan 4.

The city aims to keep the growth rates of the regional GDP and public budget revenue above 6.5 percent in 2020, while total retail sales of consumer goods are expected to rise 6 percent.

Fixed-asset and industrial investment, along with actual utilization of foreign investment, are expected to increase more than 10 percent, while the growth rate of foreign trade remains higher than Suzhou’s overall average.

The work report also specified 16 life-improving projects that the government will carry out in 2020.

They include a landscaping project in Zhangjiagang Bay, infrastructure upgrades for local schools and public sports venues, renovation of agricultural markets and old residential areas, construction and renovation of public toilets, procurement of new firefighting equipment, and construction of elderly-care service centers.