Since China’s reform and opening up, Jinshan has experienced great progresses in its economy and other social affairs. In May 1997, Jinshan County was turned into Jinshan District, opening a new chapter for its development. By the end of 2002, its GDP had grown 10.6% annually, GIP 16.5% annually, Gross Consumer Products Sale 17.4% annually, GAP 5.1%, Gross Revenue 28.6%. It has also developed in the areas like science, education, health care， and sports. 17 enterprises are honored the city’s high-tech enterprises. Jinshan also takes the lead in the training of agricultural practical technology. It is the district in Shanghai which first started and completed the project to standardize the quality of primary and secondary education. Jinshan makes great achievements in disease control, being the country’s outstanding district of health care. It successfully organized the Eighth Asia Rolling Title Match’. Jinshan has done a good job in promoting people’s sport activities. Taking a new look, Jinshan has the title of the country’s garden city, one of the top ten in forestation, and Shanghai’s Clean District. It is among the first in the country in installing optic fiber network in the residential areas. Also, it has completed the construction of water and electricity supply networks, and cable TV network in the suburban area. Currently, it is accelerating the paces in building infrastructure facilities with a focus on road construction.

Under the principle of being innovative and sincere, Jinshan regards the attraction of investment as the vital element for economic development. The objective of doubling within three years is clearly put forward. It adopts four key practices of developing science and education, building a platform for market activities, improving management expertise, and establishing an innovation and trust mechanism. It makes efforts to draft, adjust, implement and manage the district planning in the long-term view, to attract high-quality investment, to promote the common development with the petrochemical industry, to successfully integrate cultural resources, and to efficiently build a society of continuous learning. In short, it is striving to make breakthrough in the areas of science and education, investment mechanism reform, overall image building, forestry construction, and agricultural modernization.
　　
By 2005, it is expected to have realized the objective of doubling GDP, GIP, and total revenue within three years thereby its GDP exceeding 18.5 billion RMB, GDP per capita reaching 4,000 US dollars, GIP and GAP exceeding 59 billion RMB, revenue reaching 4.5 billion RMB. At that time, contracted foreign investment is expected to reach 1 billion US dollars, urbanization rate reach 50% and the average annual income of peasants exceed 6,500 RMB.
　　
According to the requirements of Jinshan District Regional Planning and Development Guideline, Jinshan is going to implement Jinshan District Town Structure and Industrial Layout Plan. With the principle of ‘three focuses’, according to the ‘1+2+3’ industrial layout, Jinshan will integrate resources, build the 103 square kilometer land into a high-level industrial park, thereby accomplishing the balanced development of all the industrial parks in the district and achieving the balance between economic development and environment protection. Meanwhile, Jinshan Modern Agricultural Park, Shanghai Textile Industrial Park, Shanghai International Apparel Machinery Centre, Shanghai Nonferrous Metal High-tech Park, and Jinshan High-tech Park is undergoing quicker infrastructure construction, having clearer industrial positioning, and accelerating industrial clustering.

With Shanghai Petrochemical’s further development, after the world’s giants like BP moving into Shanghai Chemical Industrial Park, many new big projects represented by ethane and oil refining will start by the Hangzhou Bay, the golden seashore, and Jinshan is becoming the Asia’s largest first class chemical industry base, which has caught great attention worldwide.