Good connections

City plans to be a gateway to the South China Sea

Zhanjiang, located in the southern tip of the Chinese mainland, was a hub of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. Zhanjiang Mayor Wang Zhongbing recently talked to China Daily about the city's strategic position in the Belt and Road Initiative and its plans for development and international cooperation in the future.

What role will Zhanjiang play in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road? And what's its development plan for the future?

According to the national and provincial plans for the Belt and Road Initiative, Zhanjiang is one of the four strategic pivotal cities in Guangdong province for the initiative, which refers to the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road strategies.

The city will build itself into an important hub for the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, a demonstration zone for industrial cooperation between the province and the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and also a gateway city to the South China Sea.

The city plans to reach these targets in 15 years. In the first five years, till 2020, the city will lay a solid foundation by improving its infrastructure and making breakthroughs in key economic sectors.

The following five years (2021-25) will see further improvement in the mechanism for exchanges and cooperation with other regions in China and countries along the new Maritime Silk Road.

Then the five years till 2030 will be the final phase to achieve these goals and establish a well-functioning cooperation mechanism.

We have confidence that Zhanjiang will be able to realize these goals since the city has unmatched advantages as it has smooth connections and good economic cooperation with China's vast western regions with a convenient transport network, and with its neighbors Southeast Asia.

Besides, the city has a promising future in foreign trade and frequent international cultural and science and technology exchanges.

How about the city's plans to improve its infrastructure facilities?

Zhanjiang will enlarge the handling capacity of its ports, especially for containers, through improving the existing berths and terminals and building new ones based on the city's advantages of deep water and a long shoreline.

For example, it will invest 5.6 billion yuan ($854 million) to build 20 berths in Zhanjiang's county-level harbors.

Among the ports in the plan, Zhanjiang Port will receive the most investment to boost its growth and it will play the leading role in fueling the city's development in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

It is the domestic port with the shortest distance to the sea routes connecting China to the countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Oceania.

Moreover, Zhanjiang will expand the airport, making it able to accommodate more flights. Its target is to serve 51 million passengers and handle 21,600 tons of cargo annually.

Could you introduce the cooperation between the city and the ASEAN countries?

Zhanjiang has carried out sound cooperation with all 10 ASEAN members, focusing on trade and business, and cultural exchanges in recent years.

Trade with ASEAN members has increased from $431 million in 2011 to $795 million last year, and ASEAN has grown into the city's largest export market since 2013.

Besides, the city already established a trade representative office in Cambodia in 2014, the first step to set up branches to boost trade with ASEAN.

How is the cooperation in agriculture between Zhanjiang and ASEAN?

The city will host the 2016 Agricultural Products Trade Fair for Zhanjiang and ASEAN from June 2 to 5, which aims to promote cooperation among related industries and companies of China and ASEAN members, and it's also a measure to serve the development of the Belt and Road Initiative.

zhengjinran@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 05/30/2016 page5)