Fuzhou set for status as a modern global metropolis

Plans and agreed projects aim to make the area a base for innovation, a showcase of opening-up, and suitable for both residents and businesses, Zhao Shijun reports.

Fuzhou, the capital city of East China's Fujian province, recently began construction work on Fuzhou Binhai New City, marking a milestone in its development.

The construction inauguration ceremony for the new city was held on Feb 13 at the city's Straits International Convention and Exhibition Center.

The signing ceremony for a project to build a big data park for Binhai New City - which literally means the coastal new city - was also held on the same day at the same venue.

Ni Yuefeng, Party chief of Fuzhou, said at the inauguration ceremony that the new development is a strategic measure designed to build Fuzhou into a modern international metropolis.

"We are about to build a new urban area at the estuary of the Minjiang River, and this area is expected to become the new city center of Fuzhou, featuring smart facilities and a pleasant environment," Ni said.

The Party chief noted that the development aims to build "a base for innovation, a showcase of opening-up, a land suitable for both residential and business purposes and a role model for ecological improvement".

"To achieve these aims, the city should draw up the kind of plan that can effectively guide the development of Binhai New City," Ni emphasized.

He noted that such a plan should highlight the development of advanced industries such as big data. "We should make Binhai an important regional hub for China's big data industry," he said.

The Party chief stated that the new area should also encourage the inclusion of domestic and foreign cultures to make it an international city that is attractive to both Chinese and foreigners.

Ni outlined a range of other measures aimed at making the area more appealing to both Chinese and foreign talents. They include creating a good overall environment, cultivating an international vision among local officials and residents, deepening reform and opening-up, encouraging innovation, as well as improving the local administrative and social environment.

Ni noted that the beginning of construction work on Fuzhou Binhai New City is a positive step toward implementing Fuzhou's plan to build the city into an international metropolis, and to extend it both eastward and southward to bring it closer to the sea.

Binhai New City is located in Changle, a county-level city in the southeast of Fuzhou.

Lin Fei, deputy mayor of Fuzhou, said Binhai is located in the coastal area of Changle, and plans for its development will see it covering 188 square kilometers.

He said the Binhai plan aims to offer ample development space for Fuzhou.

Lin noted that Fuzhou is one of China's important historical cities and the old urban area is under strict protection, which limits the extent to which it can be developed.

"Despite limited space, Fuzhou's economy has developed rapidly," Lin said. "Local GDP reached 600 billion yuan ($87.6 billion) last year, with a per capita GDP of $12,000 - on a par with the level of a moderately developed country."

The deputy mayor said growth is expected to continue in the years to come and a new development is needed to meet the growing demands of social and economic development.

He said that plans were drawn up to develop Binhai New City because of its rich land resources and good transportation links.

The area is home to Fuzhou Changle International Airport, the deepwater Songxia Port and a dense network of highways, expressways and railways.

Sustained growth

The new development will be an ecologically friendly community of about 1.3 million residents, as well as a base for a large number of emerging and high-tech businesses.

Lin said Binhai's clean air and soft, sandy beaches offer an ideal environment for residents, and it also has a number of natural reserves, including Dongfeng Mountain National Forest Park and Minjiang River Estuary National Wetland Reserve.

"The development of Binhai New City will highlight ecological protection, and it will balance environmental capacity with projected population and industrial growth," Lin said.

The construction of a network of high-speed traffic systems, including railways and highways, will make transportation in and around Binhai efficient and convenient, and it will take just 30 minutes to travel between the new city and the old city of Fuzhou, according to Lin.

Residents' quality of life will be further enhanced thanks to a number of new urban facilities that are planned for Binhai, including high-quality facilities for education, medical care, culture, sports and commerce, Lin noted.

The deputy mayor said Binhai New City's industrial development will highlight environmental-friendly, high-tech and innovative sectors such as big data, medical care, the internet, artificial intelligence, cloud computing, virtual reality, ocean industry, and research and education.

According to Lin, five industrial zones and parks have been planned for Binhai New City.

They are a virtual reality park in the northeast, an ocean industry park in the central area, a medical care big data park in the west, an internet industry park in the southeast and a creative industry zone in the south.

Milestone projects

When the construction inauguration ceremony took place for Fuzhou Binhai New City on Feb 13, a number of milestone projects were also launched or signed on the same day.

These included the National Medical Care Big Data Center, the second phase of China Southeast Big Data Industrial Park, Binhai New City Hospital, China VR Center and an international school.

A total of 80 infrastructure and industrial projects, requiring total investment of 200 billion were announced at the ceremony.

Sixty-nine projects with total investment of 150 billion yuan will be launched this year.

The Fuzhou city government invited Liu Thai Ker, a globally renowned urban planner and architect from Singapore, to draw up the Spatial Development Plan of Fuzhou, which includes the plan for Binhai New City.

Liu also acted as a consultant for the development of Fuzhou in the 1990s.

Contact the writer through zhaoshijun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 02/22/2017 page16)