Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone in the south of the Yangtze Delta is stepping up efforts to advance industrialization and urbanization.
Neighbouring Shanghai, an economic hub of China, and Beilun Port, one of the biggest ports in the country, the development zone enjoys a distinct geological advantage in the development of export-oriented industries.
Capitalizing on this advantage, the zone has attracted a number of large projects, seeking to become key bases for heavy chemical and manufacturing industries in East China.
These projects include a petrochemical plant worth US$5 billion, a steel company with a targeted annual output of 6 million tons of steel, and the largest thermal power plant in the country.
After the works are finished, the output value of the zone is estimated to mount to hundreds of billions of yuan (1 yuan = US$0.125).
As construction of the heavyweight projects begins, the industrial structure of the development zone has taken a fundamental turn.
The ratio of heavy industries to light industries has been increasing in the past few years and exceeded 60 per cent in 2003.
The focus of the zone's economy began to shift from labour-intensive industries to capital and technologically intensive ones.
At present, a modern industrial pattern has taken shape, covering petrochemicals, papermaking, auto components, ship building and repairing, and the high-tech industry.
Achievements
Since its founding in 1989 as the third State-level development zone, Ningbo Economic and Technological Development Zone has always been at the forefront of development.
The zone's administrative committee co-operated with China Minmetals Corp and China National Machinery Import and Export Corp to develop the zone.
This joint development mode, called "Ningbo Mode", provided new ideas for development zones in other regions.
With the zone's administrative committee moving to the Beilun Port in 1993, the zone's development entered a new phase.
Backed up by the deep seaport, the zone soon became a popular destination for investors from home and abroad.
Local authorities have focused their work on drawing big investment projects and building infrastructure facilities.
A variety of specialized industrial parks have emerged in the past years, facilitating the inflow of foreign investment.
To this date, a total of 1,285 foreign-invested projects from 46 countries and regions have been set up in the zone, with a combined investment value of US$12.28 billion, according to local authorities.
About 27 multinationals listed in the Global Fortune 500 contributed 38 projects.
Statistics show foreign investments in the zone account for one-third of the total for Ningbo and close to one-fifth of Zhejiang Province.
As a driving engine for local economic growth, the development zone has maintained steady growth in construction and investment promotion.
The gross domestic product (GDP) of the zone has grown by an average annual rate of more than 40 per cent in the past two decades.
Incremental industrial value accounted for 75 per cent of the zone's GDP in 2003.
And fiscal revenues have risen by nearly 60 per cent annually, from less than 1 million yuan (US$125,000) in 1984, to 3.21 billion yuan (US$401.25 million) last year.
High-ranking officials from the Central Government, including President Hu Jintao, have paid visits to the zone.
Urbanization
Rapid economic growth has prompted substantial social progress in the development zone.
Over two decades of construction and development, the development zone has grown from a small coastal village into one of the most developed and dynamic urban areas in the country, home to 200,000 permanent residents and 200,000 transient residents.
Business operations and education and healthcare facilities have been established and a total of 117 kilometres of roads have been built.
A sewage treatment plant with state-of-the-art technologies and an advanced water supply system, consisting of a water plant with a daily water supply capacity of 150,000 tons and a widespread pipe network, are in operation.
The local government has launched a social security system, promoting the process of urbanization.
The system covers endowment insurance and medical coverage, available to both urban and rural residents.
The zone's administrative authorities have also attached importance to environmental protection, hoping to create an eco-friendly environment. Their green efforts have paid off.
So far per capita public urban green areas of the zone have amounted to 12.94 square metres and green coverage reached 36.74 per cent.
The development zone was valued by the Ministry of Commerce as one of the top State-level development zones in terms of its comprehensive investment environment.
(China Daily 06/08/2006 page16)
