Zone to be pilot for free trade area

Originally an overseas Chinese farm, the Fenyong Economic Zone has been selected to become a pilot zone in the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area, said Zhanjiang Vice-Mayor Zhao Zhihui.

He said that the zone is also the key to developing the five new priority industries of Zhanjiang.

Those industries refer to advanced oceanic development, alternative energy, electronics, pharmaceuticals and new materials.

Agreements on 17 investment projects valued at 6 billion yuan ($952 million) in the Fenyong Economic Zone were signed during the First China (Guangdong)-ASEAN Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention.

Under the general plan by Jurong Town Corp, a Singapore-based group specializing in industrial infrastructure, the zone will cover an area of 138 square kilometers and have a core development area of some 46 square kilometers.

Planned as a modern technological new town with functions of work and leisure, the area focuses on such industries as biopharmaceutical, electronics and appliances, high-end equipment, comprehensive manufacturing, and modern logistics.

With a combined investment of 1 billion yuan, construction is under way in the area on eight projects in the fields of pharmaceuticals, food and energy.

By 2017, the infrastructure in the entire zone will be completed and an industrial system is expected to take shape.

Moreover, the zone is projected to accommodate 100,000 permanent residents and a migrant population of 200,000 by 2020, creating industrial output of 50 billion yuan annually.

It is conveniently located some 25 to 35 kilometers away from the main transportation of the city and is connected to the Zhanjiang-Xuwen Highway as well as the Guangdong-Hainan Railway.

It is also 36 kilometers away from the steel and petrochemical complexes of the city.

In the future, greater links will be forged between the zone and the Pearl River Delta more closely via a high-speed railway in western Guangdong as well as the highway between Donghai Island and Leizhou in Zhanjiang.

The zone is highly environmentally friendly.

It ranks among the top in the country in terms of forest coverage and per capita green area.

The zone offers an array of favorable policies as a provincial high-tech park and incentives for overseas Chinese areas.

In addition to the prioritized industries, the zone is seeking investments in infrastructure, including sewage discharge and treatment and living facilities. It is calling for investment in standard factory buildings, logistics, hotels, tourism and real estate, Zhao added.

On April 11, the Guangdong (Fenyong) ASEAN Industrial Park was unveiled in the Fenyong Economic Zone in Zhanjiang.

The China-ASEAN Economic Development Zone was also established in the zone, according to the memorandum signed in March last year between the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and the Guangdong provincial government.

liwenfang@chinadaily.com.cn