Central authorities are likely to approve the establishment of the Fuzhou New Area this year, according to Yang Yimin, mayor of Fuzhou.

Yang Yimin, mayor of Fuzhou, speaks at a group discussion at the Fourth Session of the 11th Fuzhou CPPCC Municipal Committee on Jan 12. [Photo/fj.people.cn]

Yang revealed the news at a group discussion at the Fourth Session of the 11th Fuzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) which convened on Jan 12.

The Fuzhou New Area will cover a total area of 1,892 sq km, including the whole of Changle (county-level) city, Lianjiang county, Luoyuan county and Mawei district, and parts of Cangshan district and Fuqing (county-level) city. It is composed of ports, an airport, a free trade zone (FTZ) as well as export processing zones.

The Area can be divided into three parts, according to a just completed overall development plan.

The northern part has an area of 443 sq km in Lianjiang and Luoyuan counties. It will focus on harbor-related industries such as steel making and the petrochemical downstream industry, beachside vacations, shipping logistics and urban agriculture.

The middle part will be the backbone of the Fuzhou New Area taking up an area of 480 sq km in Changle city, Mawei district and part of Cangshan district. It will feature an airport economy, cultural creation, modern commerce, financial business, scientific research and development as well as a headquarters economy.

The south part will boast a vast land of 969 sq km in parts of Fuqing city. It will strive to become a hub port in the west of the Taiwan Straits, with pillar industries including heavy chemical industries, electronic information, machinery manufacturing, new energy and shipping logistics.

Yang also revealed that the making of support policies and measures for the soon-to-be-inaugurated FTZ in Fuzhou is nearing completion. And the FTZ will become a pivotal engine for the development of the Fuzhou New Area.