Provincial blueprint for industry development

When the central government decided in 2003 to revitalize China's northeast, Heilongjiang province grasped the opportunity to further develop its local industries.

Along with its well-established foundation in heavy manufacturing, the province lists a number of sectors as priorities for development:

Machinery and equipment manufacturing

The provincial government made the decision in 2004 to build the Harbin-Daqing-Qiqihar industrial corridor as an engine to drive Heilongjiang's economy, with machinery and equipment manufacturing crucial to the effort. Several leaders in those industries are headquartered in the province.

But a shortage of local part providers has hindered the sector. The industrial corridor under construction is designed to extend the industrial chain and clear the bottleneck.

Petrochemicals

With plentiful petroleum, natural gas, coal, grain and trained workers, the petrochemical industry is among the mainstays of the provincial economy.

The authorities are now strengthening efforts to further utilize natural gas, coal and bio-chemical resources.

Extending the industrial chain, sharpening technology and refining production processes are seen as key steps in building the industrial corridor into a leading petrochemical center.

Agricultural processing

Heilongjiang has long been at the forefront of the country in output of grain, meat and milk. To capitalize on its natural assets, the province is increasing efforts to upgrade its processed food industries. Dairy products, soybeans, corn and sweet potatoes are now processed using imported or innovative technologies that have accelerated their pace of industrialization.

The sector is increasingly important to the provincial economy after industrial restructuring, innovations in technology and branding efforts.

Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals have emerged as a new force in the provincial economy.

Biotech, gene engineering and adaptation of traditional Chinese medicine to modern pharmaceutical standards with state-of-the-art technologies are all contributing to the province's medicine sector.

A number of nationally known medicine makers based in the corridor are expected to further the sector's growth.

Hi-tech

Electronic information, biotech, new materials, and aviation and aerospace technology are expected to offer enormous potential for future growth in the corridor.

Numerous large State-owned hi-tech enterprises, 55 higher learning institutes and more than 900 research centers contribute to the province's ranking of seventh in technological strength in the country.

Logistics

The industrial corridor has made substantial progress in developing modern logistics sector through continued expansion of transportation networks.

Brisk growth in the sector has not only benefited the industrial corridor, but also facilitated commerce throughout the province and other regions as well as overseas markets.

One of the industrial corridor's goals is to become a regional logistics hub for Northeast Asia.

(China Daily 06/17/2008 page15)