The beautiful boomtown of Foshan is ideal for living and business.

With a prime location for trade and logistics, Foshan has all the potential ingredients for making a new economic powerhouse in South China, local officials say.

Only 16 kilometers away from the provincial capital Guangzhou, the Pearl City Delta boomtown benefits from the massive infrastructure of its cosmopolitan neighbor, including ports, railway stations, an international airport as well as China's first intercity metro line.

Covering an area of 3,800 sq km, Foshan is in very easy reach of other Delta cities as well as Hong Kong and Macao, both of which are about two hours' drive away.

The city has become a key manufacturing base in China and even globally and is now home to a dozen well-developed industries, including the manufacturing of household appliances, industrial equipment, ceramics, building materials, textile and garments, food and beverages, plastic products, refined chemicals pharmaceutical products, and household goods as well as electronic information technology and metal products.

The city's industrial output was worth $300 billion in 2011, ranked fifth nationwide.

In the past few years, the city has endeavored to improve infrastructure and prepare destinations for potential investors.

And the city has a handful of development zones and industrial parks in different districts across the city focused on investments from various specific industries.

With a planned area of 10 square kilometers, the Foshan National Hi-tech Industries Development Zone is expected to become an industrial think tank, auto industrial town as well as a metro traffic pivot.

The zone will consist of parks for the manufacture of optical displays and high-end equipment as well as parks focusing on environmental protection and the bio-pharmaceutical industry.

It is set to become Guangdong's base for the new LED lighting industry, new-materials industry and modern agriculture.

Other possible locations for potential investments include the 10-sq km Chancheng High-tech Industries Development Zone in the city's Chancheng district, the 4.5-sq km Guangdong High Tech Service Zone for Financial Institutions and 55-sq km Nanhai Hi-tech Industries Development Zone in Nanhai district, the 69-sq km Shunde Hi-tech Industries Development Zone in Shunde district, the 61-sq km Sanshui Industrial Park in Sanshui district, and the 100-sq km Gaoming Cangjiang Industrial Park in Gaoming district.

zhanlisheng@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/09/2012 page12)