[photopress:Zone_bridge_1_1.jpg,full,alignright]Hangzhou Wan Bay New Zone is now connected in a logical way with the Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone.

First the Ningbo Economic zone was a major success.

Now, the bridge, which spans the mouth of the Yangtze River from Jiaxing — an hour’s drive southwest of Shanghai, to Cixi — an hour’s drive east of Hangzhou, bring the two closer together.

The Hangzhou Wan Bay New Zone at the base of the Cixi-end of the bridge is an amalgamation of several zones, including the Zhejiang Cixi Economic Development Zone, the Zhejiang Cixi Export Processing Zone.

Established in 2001 the total area of the New Zone is 145 square kilometers.

At the moment it is like a dead village witing to spring to life. Even the Export Processing Zone, which had been established in 2005, is without companies.

[photopress:Zone_bridge_3.jpg,full,alignleft]Cixi itself is about the size of Suzhou City, 1.2 million.

Cixi has become, in the theory, the Plastics Capital of China; along with Yuyao and Ningbo creating a Plastics Triangle of production capability. Now that thought it about to become a reality. This is a new Zone with excellent prospects simply because of the bridge. It makes the logistics feasible, affordable.

This will the zone to watch for growth. The figures this year should be little less than startling.
Source: This is China!

[photopress:zones_Prologis_1.JPG,full,alignright]ProLogis, the world’s largest owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities, has released a new research report entitled, China’s Special Economic Zones and National Industrial Parks — Door Openers to Economic Reform.

The report is long and comprehensive and it is worth going to the Prologis site, filling in a form and getting a free copy.

This report highlights the key role played by China’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Economic and Technological Development Zones (ETDZs) as catalysts in the country’s economic transformation.

China unveiled wide-ranging economic reforms in 1979, and its economy has flourished during the subsequent 30 years. The report credits China’s SEZs and ETDZs for attracting foreign companies to invest in China and thereby nurturing China’s economic revitalization.
For a copy of the report on China’s Special Economic Zones click HERE.
Source: Earth Times

[photopress:zones_Dalian_FTZ.jpg,full,alignright]Dalian Free Trade Zone is said to be the only one of its type in Northeast China. Although it is located inside China, Dalian Free Trade Zone is considered to be outside Chinese Customs territory. Thus any goods that enter China through Dalian Free Trade Zone are not assessed Customs duties until after they leave the zone for China consumption.

Companies inside the Zone benefit from simplified customs procedures, liberal foreign exchange privileges and absence of export quotas and other requirements on imports.

Companies, both domestic and foreigh, can store, exhibit or process goods with the zone and thus defer, reduce or even eliminate duties on imported goods.

The Dalian Free Trade Zone has three main functions:[photopress:zones_Dalian_FTZ2.jpg,full,alignleft]

1) International trade and bonded exhibition for imports.
2) Storage, distribution and logistics.
3) Manufacturing, processing and packaging.

There are 7.3 kilometers of roads built within the Zone and trees and grass have been planted on 53 thousand square meters. There are 42 km of underground pipes of all kinds.

Of 2,183 firms registered with Dalian Free Trade Zone, 816 are foreign-funded.
Source: China-Dalian.com

[photopress:zones_Pakistan.jpg,full,alignright]In starting its concept of special economic zones back in the seventies China was thinking inside the country. It was planning the industrialization of China.

Especially since the 3rd Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee in 1978, the PRC government reformed the national economic setup.

During the 1980s, the PRC passed several stages, ranging from the establishment of special economic zones and open coastal cities and areas, and designating open inland and coastal economic and technology development zones. It is a process the continues but is undoubtedly a massive success, albeit with attendant problems which are being dealt with in an orderly manner. The success of these zones has not escaped the attention of other countries.

In Peshawar, the administrative center of Pakistan, Provincial Minister for Industries Syed Ahmed Hussain Shah said a ‘national trade corridor’ would be established on N-35, Malakand, in the name of China City to enhance trade with China.

He said the establishment of the proposed ‘Reconstruction Opportunity Zones’ (ROZ) in the border regions of Pakistan and Afghanistanwould improve the provincial economy, generate employment opportunities, and help stem terrorism in the area.

Meanwhile Sindh Minister for Industries and Commerce in Pakistan, Rauf Siddiqui has suggested establishing a 100km long industrial zone on the land lying between Karachi and Hyderabad.

Syed Ahmed Hussain Shah said that to eliminate rising unemployment in the country and strengthening local economy, we had to convince foreign investors including China and other countries to invest in Pakistan.

Dr Junaid Ahmed, Advisor to the Finance Ministry called on the government to establish Pak-China, Pak-Korea, Pak-Iran, Pak-Arab Economic Zones, in which industrialists from these countries could be provided opportunities to invest. When China started special economic zones it started a world revolution.
Sources: The News and Trading Markets.

[photopress:industrial_zone.jpg,full,alignright]An amazing history of special and economic zones has been put online.

1978. The Chinese government embarked on a policy of opening to the outside world in a planned way.
1980, China started establishing special economic zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou in Guangdong Province and Xiamen in Fujian Province, and designated the entire province of Hainan a special economic zone.
1984, China further opened 14 coastal cities — Dalian, Qinhuangdao, Tianjin, Yantai, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Nantong, Shanghai, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Zhanjiang and Beihai — to overseas investment.
1985, the state decided to expand the open coastal areas, extending the open economic zones of the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Xiamen-Zhangzhou-Quanzhou Triangle in south Fujian, Shandong Peninsula, Liaodong Peninsula, Hebei and Guangxi into an open coastal belt.
1990, the Chinese government decided to open the Pudong New Zone in Shanghai to overseas investment, and opened more cities in the Yangtze River valley. In this way, a chain of open cities extending up the Yangtze River valley, with Shanghai’s Pudong as the “dragon head,” has been formed.
1992. Since this date the State Council has opened a number of border cities, and in addition, opened all the capital cities of inland provinces and autonomous regions. In addition, 15 free trade zones, 32 state-level economic and technological development zones, and 53 new- and high-tech industrial development zones have been established in large and medium-sized cities.

More. much more, by clicking on Source.
Source: China in Brief

[photopress:Industrial_zones_Dalian.jpg,full,alignright]China in Brief has an article which is, in effect, a guide to special economic zones.

It states that in 1978 the Chinese government embarked on a policy of opening to the outside world in a planned way and step by step.
Since 1980, China has established special economic zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Shantou in Guangdong Province and Xiamen in Fujian Province, and designated the entire province of Hainan a special economic zone.
In 1984, China further opened 14 coastal cities — Dalian (seen in our illustration), Qinhuangdao, Tianjin, Yantai, Qingdao, Lianyungang, Nantong, Shanghai, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Zhanjiang and Beihai — to overseas investment.
Then, beginning in 1985, the state decided to expand the open coastal areas, extending the open economic zones of the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta, Xiamen-Zhangzhou-Quanzhou Triangle in south Fujian, Shandong Peninsula, Liaodong Peninsula, Hebei and Guangxi into an open coastal belt.
In 1990, the government decided to open the Pudong New Zone in Shanghai to overseas investment, and opened more cities in the Yangtze River valley.
In this way, a chain of open cities extending up the Yangtze River valley, with Shanghai’s Pudong as the ‘dragon head,’ was formed.
Since 1992, the State Council has opened a number of border cities, and in addition, opened all the capital cities of inland provinces and autonomous regions.
In addition, 15 free trade zones, 32 state-level economic and technological development zones, and 53 new- and high-tech industrial development zones have been established in large and medium-sized cities.

As these open areas adopt different preferential policies, they play the dual roles of ‘windows’ in developing the foreign-oriented economy, generating foreign exchanges through exporting products and importing advanced technologies and as ‘radiators’ in accelerating inland economic development.

The article which you can get by clicking on Source is an excellent basic guide.
Source: China in Brief

[photopress:zone_chengdu_1.jpg,full,alignright]Chengdu will host the first leg of the 13th International IC-China Conference & Exhibition, the largest semiconductor event in China, on the last two days of this month. This will be at the Chengdu New International Exhibition and Convention Center and it underlines the fact the city is a major electronics hub in West China.

Chengdu in Sichuan Province has a population of 10,597,000, which makes Chengdu the fifth largest city in China in terms of population, following Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing.

(To get this into perspective there is only one city in Britain with a population over one million and that is London. And while New York has eight million odd — not as many as Chengdu but trying hard — there are only nine cities in the United States with populations over one million. By any standards Chengdu is one of the major cities of the world although many Westerners look blank when you mention its name.)

Some quick facts:

Chengdu Hi-tech Zone was initiated in 1988 and ratified as a state-ranked hi-tech industrial development zone in 1991.
With a planned area of 82 km2, the Zone consists of the south zone and west zone.
Chengdu Hi-tech Zone south zone was the major starting industrial area of the Hi-tech Zone.
Chengdu Hi-tech Zone west zone with a planned area of 35 km2. This is the international manufacturing base of the Hi-tech Zone. The park is focused on the microelectronics-oriented IT industries, pharmaceutical industries based on modernized traditional medicine and precision mechanical industries characterized with advanced technology.
Sichuan Chengdu Export Processing Zone (EPZ) was the first state-ranked EPZ in west China.
Chengdu’s Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone houses at least 30 Fortune 500 companies and 12,000 domestic companies, including China’s own Lenovo. Chip giant Intel has one of its IC assembly plants in Chengdu. Intel’s rival AMD is set to open an R&D center in this city. Other multinational tech companies with presence there include Nokia, Motorola, Microsoft, Alcatel and IBM.

There is an interesting YouTube about the zone. Click here.
Source: EE Times Asia

[photopress:industrial_zones__Tianjin_Dongjiang_Bonded_Harbor_Area.jpg,full,alignright]The first phase of Tianjin Dongjiang Bonded Harbor Area, China’s largest free trade harbor, came into operation on December 11. This is the bonded harbor area, which covers an area of 4 sq km. It includes warehouses, container terminals and processing and logistics zones, and involved an investment of RMB6.6 billion ($906.59 million).

The rest of the 6-sq-km area is under development and is due to be operational by 2010.

Xu Fu, a professor at the Tianjin-based Nankai University, said, ‘The harbor area is sort of an engine that could drive up the regional economy and business in Tianjin, especially the Tianjin Binhai New Area.’

In 1994, the Tianjin government proposed the idea of the Tianjin Binhai New Area, and the central government approved it as the nation’s third regional economy facilitator, after the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone and Pudong New District in Shanghai.

Tianjin Port is now China’s fourth-largest and the sixth-largest worldwide.

In 2006, it handled 258 million tons in cargo. It plans to increase its cargo and container handling capacity up to 400 million tons and 12 million standard containers, TEUs, by 2010.

Professor Xu Fu said, ‘In China, the idea of bonded harbor areas comes at an opportune time.’

Some experts believe that compared to tariff-free zones, bonded harbor areas provide higher quality and more cost-effective services to exporters and importers because harbor areas, as their name suggests, are built much closer to ports. They are also equipped with tariff-free logistics parks, export processing bases and commodity showrooms.
Source: China Daily

[photopress:industrial_zone_technology_park.jpg,full,alignright]Research and Markets, which claims to be the world’s largest market research resource with 382,776 reports, has published The Survey of China’s Innovative Hi-tech Development Zones.

With the establishment of the Zhongguancun Science and Technology Park (seen in our illustration), in 1988 , China’s Hi-Tech Development Zones (HTDZs), after 20 years’ development, have gradually entered a mature development period.With the unprecedented economical prosperity and the significant impact of information technology, HTDZs faces both new opportunities and new challenges.In China, the traditional Science and Technology Park programming method can not satisfy the demand of the new economical situation, therefore it is necessary to introduce new thoughts and new methods to deal with the challenges, while at the same time seizing the development opportunities.Faced with the increasingly fierce competition in the economic globalization era, independent innovations now have been elevated to national strategy, for the biggest developing country, China.In 2007, China’s Hi-Tech Development Zones eleventh five-year plan outline was formulated and promulgated, marking the coming of a new development stage of HTDZs, with clearer targets.According to the outline, the development of HTDZ should follow ‘Six Principles’, realize ‘Five Changes’, achieve ‘Four Promotions’ and build up ‘Three Types of Zones’ within the Eleventh Five-Year period. 

The report The Survey of China’s Hi-tech Development Zone covers most of the information that exists on technological parks. It costs $3,687, which, while expensive, is not out of line with the price of similar reports.
Source: Research and Markets

[photopress:danube_woodshow.jpg,full,alignright]Danube Building Materials, a leader in the construction, building materials, and shop fitting industry, has announced that it has invested $15 million towards the formation of the Lianyungang Donghai Danube Wood Products in China, as a part of the company’s international expansion plans.

The move involved the construction of three new manufacturing facilities in the Punan Industrial Economic Development Zone in Lianyungang Port, which the company expects to generate $50 million in additional revenues. The first batch of China-made products are expected to arrive to the Middle East by early 2008.

Danube established an office in Shanghai in 2002, which was shortly followed by the launch of a liaison office in Guangzhou.

The rapid growth of Danube’s operations has earned the Dubai-based manufacturer an export license from the customs department of China, which has paved the way for the formation of the Lianyungang Donghai Danube Wood Products company.

Spanning 50,000 square feet, the industrial unit comprises three facilities including a Melamine MDF pressing plant, a Melamine impregnation line, and a backing panel pressing plant and the decor ply production line, all of which have been constructed within a six month period.
Source: Ali Bawa