Range of work gets Changxing ready to grow

Changxing Island Harbor Industrial Zone is located on the Liaodong peninsula in the Baohai Sea mid-way along the "One Line" highway highlighted for development. The 349.5 sq km zone has a population of 58,000.

With a combined coastline of 189.3 km, the zone includes Changxing, the fifth-largest island in China, as well as the islands of Xizhong, Fengming, Luotuo and Jiaoliu

It is one of the "Five Points" the Lioning provincial people's government selected to further the opening and reform process in Northeast China.

The zone's function

Developing Changxing Island is part of the effort to revitalize aging industries in the region and attract new producers from home and abroad.

Benefiting from Dalian's geography, harbors and manufacturing facilities, the island's designation as a new industrial zone will enable it to widen its role in shipping from Dalian.

Closer cooperation with South Korea, Japan and EU countries is also part of the plan to develop manufacturing industries.

The State Council, ministries and commissions - including the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Communications - and the Liaoning provincial and Dalian municipal governments have adopted a series of preferential policies to promote construction and development of the zone.

China Development Bank granted an 8 billion yuan loan for improving infrastructure, while policy support has been given by governmental entities ranging from the State Development and Reform Commission, to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Land and Resources, Ministry of Construction and the State Environmental Protection Administration.

The zone's development, combined with the harbors of Dalian, will make it one of Northeast Asia's international shipping and manufacturing hubs.

Planners have developed a scientific outline for the harbor's improvement that includes industrial and urban distribution, infrastructure and environmental protection.

The development outline for Changxing Island was adopted by the provincial government in August 2006. Its planned nature reserve for harbor seals has since been approved by the State Council.

A range of work has already been completed to meet both infrastructure and industrial development targets:

The management committee of the harbor zone has finished relocating households and farm plots totaling 50 sq km.

New railway construction began in February, 2006, while construction of one 50,000-ton and two 70,000-ton ship berths were completed began to operate in December last year.

The Changxing Island Harbor Industrial Zone is now the only inspection and quarantine harbor for imported timber in North China.

Improvements to 30 km of Changxing Road that stretches from east to west on the island has been completed and is now open to traffic.

Large areas of trees have been planted, while an underground water pipe network and streetlight installation project have been completed.

The first phase of a water supply system with a capacity of 50,000 tons has completed through the installation of 45 km of pipelines. Work is underway on a pumping station and water treatment plant.

The STX Group from South Korea, the world's sixth-largest shipbuilding firm, invested $3 billion in a new facility on the island and plans to complete its first ship in December.

The IMC Group from Singapore, the fourth-largest global chemicals company, has begun operations after a $700 million investment for shipbuilding and oceanic engineering.

China International Marine Containers (Group) Co Ltd (CIMC), which has 70 percent of the global container market, has moved into the zone with a $1.25 billion investment in marine exploration.

SembCorp Utilities (SCU), a leader in integrated utilities services from Singapore, Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp, the largest industrial gas supplier in Japan, and China Power Group have signed investment agreements with the zone.

The zone is the second national-level cooperative project between the governments of China and Singapore, following their partnership in the Suzhou Industry Park.

Organization, management and training will be administered by both sides.

The general targets

According to the zone's long-term strategy, a 129.7 - sq - km area will be developed in the first 15 years, including a harbor area of 21.1 sq km, industrial sites totaling 71.1 sq km and 36.9 sq km in residential and tourism areas.

Targets by the end of the 11th Five-year Plan (2006-10) include completion of all infrastructure in the harbor's industrial area to finish the framework of combined harbors of the Dalian-Northeast Asia international shipping center.

Other benchmarks in the plan are improving services and integrating modern logistics with the harbor's industries. It also plans for five new berths with a throughput of 8 million tons annually that can handle 50,000- to 70,000-ton ships.

By 2010 the total yearly industrial output value of the zone is projected to reach 80 billion yuan.

(China Daily 03/05/2008 page27)