Xining Economic and Technological Development Zone was approved as state-level deveopment zone in July 2000.
   
Geographical Location
XETDZ lies in the east of Xi'ning, the capital city of Qinghai Province, 5 kilometers away from downtown. Located in the east of the province, Xi'ning stands at the upper reaches of the Huangshui River-one of the Yellow River's branches. The city is surrounded by the mountains with an average elevation of 2261 meters and the highest at 4393 meters.

Xi'ning Economic and Technological Development Zone (XETDZ) is the first of its kind at the national level on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. It is established to fulfill the nation's strategy of developing the west.

Climate
The dry, continental highland climate of Xi'ning is characterized by its average temperature of 6.5 centigrade annually, long sunshine time, low precipitation, strong solar radiation, and big difference of temperature between day and night.

Communication and Transportation
XETDZ enjoys a convenient transportation system, connected by the Xi'ning-Lanzhou expressway and run through by two main roads, the broadest roads of the city. It is 4 kilometers away from the railway station, 15 kilometers from Xi'ning Airport, a grade 4D airport with 14 airlines to other cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi'an. Xi'ning is Qinghai province's passage to the outside world, a transportation center with more than ten highways, over one hundred roads and two railways, Lanzhou-Qinghai and Qinghai-Tibet Railways in and out of the city.

Natural resources
Xi'ning is proven to have a workable reserve of minerals such as coal, jade, limestone, quartzite, dolomite, plaster stone, mica and etc. Meanwhile, Qinghai province has the nation's largest reserve of sylvite, magnesite, lithium, natural sulphur, silica and asbestos.

Human Resources
There are 99 institutes and over 70,000 scientists, researchers and technicians in Xi'ning conducting scientific research and providing technical services. The city also has 7 universities with 12,000 students, and 18 secondary technical schools with nearly 10,000 students.

Investment Priorities
XETDZ gives priority to export-oriented industrial projects utilizing foreign capital and employing high technologies. It focuses on the development of following industries: chemicals based on salt lake resources, nonferrous metals, and petroleum and natural gas processing; special medicine, foods and bio-chemicals using local plateau animals and plants; new products involving ecological and environmental protection, high technology, new materials as well as information technology; and services such as logistics, banking, real estate, tourism, hotel, catering, agency and international trade.

Administration Committee
Tel: 86-971-8125306
Fax: 86-971-8125196
Email: xjjfj@163.com
Website: www.xnkfq.com

(Source: Ministry of Commerce)

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