Quanzhou's fresh trade wind

City taps new markets along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, Hu Meidong and Sun Li report.

The ancient port city of Quanzhou in Fujian province is taking a range of measures to integrate into the central government's strategy of "building a 21st Century Maritime Silk Road".

Last year, the city government facilitated a series of projects linked with countries along the route, including renovation of Quanzhou Shipyard, one of the country's largest, funded through investment from Singapore's Keppel Offshore & Marine Ltd.

The city government is also promoting industrial cooperation between Quanzhou and Middle Eastern countries. It has also been working on establishing a petrochemical zone that will host projects by countries along the maritime trade route.

To enhance the popularity and influence of brands from Quanzhou, 16 expos were held last year in several countries along the Maritime Silk Road, with 256 enterprises from Quanzhou displaying their products.

More than 350 exhibition booths were set up during the events, which generated combined business turnover of about $80 million.

Quanzhou is noted for its vast number of private enterprises, so the local government has strengthened support for their efforts in going global.

Private textile and garment companies are encouraged to set up marketing centers and cross-border e-commerce distribution centers in Southeast, South and Central Asia.

The local government aims to help building material companies establish marketing centers in the Middle East and help develop fishery, mining and equipment manufacturing industries.

According to the Quanzhou bureau of commerce, trade between Quanzhou and countries along the Maritime Silk Road totaled $15.76 billion in 2014, up 4.95 percent from 2013, accounting for 51 percent of the city's total trade. Goods and services valued at $9.26 billion were imported from countries along the Maritime Silk Road, up 3.42 percent, while the city's export volume to them hit $6.5 billion, up 7.21 percent.

The Middle East has become Quanzhou's top trading partner, followed by Southeast Asia, the bureau said. By 2014, 1,426 companies in Quanzhou had received investment from countries along the modern Maritime Silk Road, with utilized foreign capital reaching $5.29 billion. Thirty-two operation centers have now been established in countries along the route by enterprises from Quanzhou. The local government said it will push forward improvements in its key economic development zones such as an investment zone for businesses from Taiwan and the Quanzhou High-Tech Industrial Zone.

This year the local government plans to stage 18 brand expos in countries along the route, especially in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asian countries.

Quanzhou is also striving to become a pilot city for cross-border e-commerce in a bid to provide a better services and logistics for local companies interested in markets along the route. The local government will take advantage of "Fujian Commodity City" outlets in Poland, Russia and Bahrain and help more Quanzhou companies to be listed in those countries.

The Quanzhou bureau of ocean and fisheries plans to help build a fishing and sales center in Tanzania this year for a local company. It will also help another local fishing company set up a production site in Madagascar.

(China Daily 02/12/2015 page7)