Lanzhou New Zone looks to new opportunity

China's newest State-level development zone in Northwest China is looking toward Central and West Asia to increase trade flow as export confidence remains shaken by the eurozone debt crisis and economic slowdown in the Pacific Rim.

The Lanzhou New Area, China's fifth State-level development zone, was established in August to "explore the market of the Commonwealth of the Independent States", said Lu Wucheng, the top Party official in Lanzhou, capital of Gansu province.

Sitting in the geometric center of the country and the traditional transportation hub toward Europe, Lu said the city, with its advantage of oil refining and equipment manufacturing, is well prepared to develop energy industries by importing more raw materials from Central Asia and Mongolia.