Southern coastal city gaining new growth momentum
Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, is poised to play an active role in turning China into a major maritime power by promoting marine industries, according to local officials.
The city has officially been approved as one of the country's first marine economy innovative development pilot cities. A 300 million yuan ($43.53 million) special fund will be allocated for this purpose.
Officials say the move will help the city offset current weaknesses in the development process and will create new momentum. It will also help to attract more leading small and medium-sized enterprises to settle down in the city, driving the transformation and upgrade of the marine industries.
According to the plan, the Zhanjiang city government will formulate further measures and direct more resources to the industry by offering subsidies. Efforts will also be made to accelerate the conversion of academic achievements into industrial applications and to enhance self-innovation capabilities.
As a major coastal city of the marine economy in Guangdong province, Zhanjiang is strategically located and has a strong basis from which to develop the industry, Zhanjiang Mayor Wang Zhongbing said.
"Zhanjiang will actively promote the marine economy, tap the potential of the ocean, establish a modern marine industry system and build a national marine economy pilot city during the 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20) period," Wang said.
The marine economy is an important basis for China to build itself into a maritime power and to implement the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road initiative. It is a national strategy that President Xi Jinping proposed in 2013, with the aim of strengthening international economic and trade cooperation.
The marine industry has become a new driving force for the country's sustainable economic growth. Last year, the value of the marine and marine-related industries totaled 6.47 trillion yuan, growing 7 percent year-on-year, according to the State Oceanic Administration. That amount accounted for 9.6 percent of the country's total GDP.
"Zhanjiang will strive to act as a model in developing modern port-centered industries, implementing an innovation-driven strategy, creating beautiful bay areas, building a safe city and exploring available space for developing the marine economy, in the process of implementing the national strategy for building a maritime power," Wang told China Ocean News in an earlier report.
To promote a modern port-centered industry, the city will build industrial parks, extend the marine industrial chain and enhance the quality of sea products.
The city's innovation base, called the South Sea Valley, is currently under construction. It is expected to become a base for developing marine-related technologies and a gathering place for innovative, talented people.
In addition to focusing its attention on innovative development, Zhanjiang is also working to improve its disaster prevention and management. The city has formulated scientific schemes to deal with typhoons in an effort to minimize loss caused by natural disasters.
sally@chinadaily.com.cn
(China Daily 11/24/2016 page12)
