Mayor welcomes golden opportunity for change

By Zhu Chengpei (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-09-10 08:40

Dalian, one of the largest coastal cities in Liaoning province, is aiming to re-invent itself as one of the leading international shipping, logistics and financial centers in Northeast Asia.

As the only city with deep-water port facilities in northeast China, Dalian hopes its geographical advantages will allow it to compete more effectively with its coastal peers in eastern China. Its aspirations have been boosted by a recent central government undertaking to endorse the regional economic development plan for the Liaoning coastal area.

Li Wancai, acting mayor of Dalian, said the plan would prove "a shot in arm" for the city's development and called the initiative a "once in a lifetime opportunity" for the city.

Dalian, as one of the major economic powerhouses in northeast China, will now be one of the major beneficiaries of the proposal and will be a key player in its implementation.

Since China first introduced its opening up policy in the late 1970s, the country has focused on four coastal economic zones - the Beibu Bay economic zone in the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Shenzhen in Guangdong province, the Pudong district in Shanghai and the Bohai Bay New Area in Tanjin. According to Li, the economic belt in Liaoning province was the only coastal area that remained untapped.

With a total area of nearly 60,000 sq km, the economic belt contributes more than half of the province's gross domestic products (GDP) and a quarter of that of the total of northeast China - including the whole of the three provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoing.

The proposed economic belt in Liaoning is located at the very heart of Northeast Asia. Its transportation facilities and close proximity to countries such as Japan and the Republic of Korea make it the ideal site for inward investmemt.

Li said the plan will also greatly facilitate the campaign to rejuvenate the traditional industrial bases in Northeast China. He said "It is a landmark event and a golden opportunity for the development of Dalian."

As part of the plan, Dalian will set out to strengthen its underlying infrastructure and further refine its service industry base. It will now play a leading role in the development of the region. Reflecting on the future prospects for both the city and the region, Li said: "Dalian is honored to be granted such an onerous task.

"In order to achieve its goal, Dalian will accelerate its industrial adjustment and upgrading, a key part of sharpening the city's competitiveness. The city will also renew its efforts to attract hi-tech companies and develop a green economy. We will now look at drawing up our own series of objectives as part of our roadmap for achieving our overall goals."

According to Li, the plan comes at an opportune time for the region, which is continuing to maintain robust economic growth, despite the international economic downturn.

In the first quarter of this year, the respective GDPs of Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang grew by 9.5 percent, 9 percent and 6 percent from a year ago. Yingkou, a port city in Liaoning, saw its GDP grow by a breathtaking 18 percent.

This brisk economic growth has not gone unnoticed at a state level. During a recent inspection tour of northeast China in June, President Hu Jintao called on local officials to work hard and maintain the region's economic momentum. With the backing of the central government, northeast China is expected to become one of the new growth engines powering the country's economic growth, according to Sheng Songcheng, president of the Shenyang branch of the Bank of China: "Northeast China has the advantages of huge land resources and a low-cost work force. With the backing of the central government, the area will truly start to come into its own."

A proposal for the collective development of the coastal area of Liaoning was first mooted in 2004 by Li Keqiang, the then Party secretary of Liaoning. Li is now the Vice-Premier of the State Council.

The original idea was summarized as "five points and one line", an apt description of the five cities along the province's coast and the highway that links them together.The revised version of the plan feature six cities and is said to be far more ambitious than the original concept.

Commenting on the revised profile, Li Wancai said. "The economic belt has the potential to become a manufacturing and trade center for northeastern Asia. We are confident that, in 10 years time, the Liaoning economic belt will be a major economic asset for the country."

(China Daily 09/10/2009 page35)