The China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park has made great progress in the past 13 years due to policies encouraging innovation and investment.

The park covers about 4% of Suzhou’s land yet produces 15% of the city’s GDP, 25% of its foreign investment and 30% of foreign trade.

It was built in May 1994 in the east end of Suzhou in Jiangsu province and operates under the principle of ’selective investment’.

It mainly targets capital-intensive, technology-intensive and flagship projects.

A joint project between the Chinese and Singaporean governments, the industrial park has set up a comprehensive network to attract investors and guarantee the park secures multibillion-dollar projects.
The park has recently put more emphasis on projects that highlight science, technology and service.

It has approved over 3,000 foreign-backed companies with total actual foreign direct investment of $13.4 billion. The park’s trade volume has increased to $56.7 billion from a mere several million when it first opened.

It has created more than ten policies to improve innovation and encourage investors to set up research and development centers. It’s also launched plans to encourage intellectual property right protection and lure skilled professionals. It may be a model for industrial parks.
Source: China Daily

Originally, as reported by Xinhua, the plan was that Nokia’s China new headquarters in Beijing would be completed and in use at the end of last year. Missed by a month or so but now it is open and the six-story building has a total floor area even larger that of its world headquarters in Finland.

Shen Jian, communications manager of Nokia China, said the new headquarters will house 2,000 research and development (R&D) and management staff.

The headquarters, R&D center inside and manufacturing base located in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area in Yizhuang, southeastern Beijing, will form the Nokia China Campus.

The headquarters building started construction in May 2006 with an investment of RMB450 million ($60 million).

The Nokia China Campus and the Xingwang Industrial Park, which is home to almost 20 other electronic companies led by Nokia, will form the most integrated mobile phone production chain in the world.

China has become the largest market of Nokia, the world’s largest mobile phone maker, whose sales and export volume in China exceeded $13 billion in 2006.
Source: China View

China is constructing another civil aerospace center in the Shaanxi province this year after the launch of the initial Shanghai base last year. This marks an increase in China’s effort in its civil aerospace industrialization. The State Development and Reform Commission approved the planning of Xi’an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base on December 26, 2007.

According to Huafeng Yue, Xi’an deputy mayor of the National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base of Xi’an, it will, when completed, cover 23 square km and will focus on developing satellites, new materials, energies, IT and other technologies. It is stressed that these are all intended as civil applications.

In November 2006, Xi’an and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation jointly set up Xi’an Aerospace Science and Technology Industrial Base.

Its focus has always been the development of the civil space industry.

Hongzhuan Zhao, a Xi’an official responsible for the planning of the base, said, ‘The main industries in Xi’an base include equipment manufacturing, software and service outsourcing, new materials and solar photovoltaics.

‘Xi’an base industry planning is consistent with the national strategic overall planning, which lays foundation for the upgrade of Xi’an base to a national base.’

A press release from deputy mayor Huafeng Yu, said, ‘The setting up of national aerospace base in Xi’an, an ancient city renowned for its terracotta warriors, is a firm indicator of China’s commitment to boosting the aerospace industry infrastructure beyond major cities. Xi’an will give full support to the national base through tax concessions, preferential policy in land use and infrastructure building.’

As the core of the Yangtze River Delta radiation region, Shanghai National civil aerospace industry base aims to drive regional economic development through market-oriented space industry operation. Xi’an officials expect Xi’an Base to exert greater influence.
Source: Emerging China

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

Weihai City, which is used to be known as ‘Weihaiwei’, is at the eastern point of the Shandong Peninsula, facing the sea in the three directions.

The Weihai Economic and Technical Development Zone (WETZ), authorized by the State Council, is in the southern suburb of Weihai City covering 72 square kilometers.

The investment for the construction of infrastructure was RMB4 billion. The electricity, water, heat, gas, transportation, communication, sewage treatment and ground are now all available.

WETZ borders on the line of Qingwei and Yanwei Express Way and Taiwei Railway. The international standardized Weihai Airport, which is 25 kilometers away from the WETZ, has newly reopened after reconstruction.

The Weihai harbor, which is only 3 kilometers away from the WETZ, has three international sailing lines to Korea, Hong Kong and Japan. The deep water harbor — the new Weihai Harbor, is equipped with several ten thousand-ton wharves.

There are 1,228 projects by investors from 16 countries such as Japan, Korea, the United States, Hong Kong.

The total investment value is RMB6 billion. The total investment of the 258 joint ventures has reached $590 million The eight mainstay industries include automobile, machinery, electronics, food, light industries, chemicals, building material, textile and pharmaceutical.
Source: China Business World

In Taiyuan, there are three predominant economic zones: the Taiyuan Economic and Technological Development Zone, the Taiyuan High-Tech Industry Development Zone, and the Taiyuan Non-Public Economic Development Zone.

The Taiyuan High-tech Industry Development Zone is a state-level high-tech zone approved by the State Council, the earliest one in Shanxi province. Its planning area is 60.8 square kilometers. At which point we have to pause and consider the area is bigger than many towns.

The zone has entrances to Jing-Tai expressway, Da-Yun expressway and Tat-Jiu expressway. It is close to Wusu Airport.

There are more than 1,500 enterprises settled in the zone and about 300 of those are high-tech enterprises.

A pattern of ‘zero fee’ in management and ‘one stop in service for examination and approval procedures’ has been launched.

What is excellent is that, along with the development of this zone, Taiyuan has taken care of the environment. The construction of parks and recreational areas on both sides of the Fen River have been specifically praised by the UN Environmental Program.
Source: Taiyun