Comprehensive plan for cooperation sees host of investments

Xuwen of Zhanjiang, Guangdong province, commenced construction of eight projects and signed contracts for another 16 projects in late March.

The 24 projects, involving an investment of 40.3 billion yuan ($5.57 billion), have one thing in common: they represent a key move in Zhanjiang's efforts to facilitate the Qiongzhou Strait integration; establish the Xuwen area of the high-quality development demonstration zone; and build a southern gateway city that offers high-standard services for Guangdong-Hainan collaboration while promoting coordinated development between Zhanjiang and Hainan, local officials said.

They encompass sectors including port industries, water resource conservation, low-altitude economy, new energy, equipment operation and maintenance, modern agriculture, marine ranching, smart cities, healthcare and coastal tourism.

One of the eight projects that have started is a logistic park at the Xuwen area of the Qiongzhou Strait Integration High-Quality Development Demonstration Zone.

"The logistics park will become an enclave park for us in the Xuwen area after Hainan's closed-loop customs operation and will work together with Haikou Xinhai Ludao Logistics Park," said Liu Hairong, chairman of Hainan Logistics Group, one of the investment and construction parties of the Xuwen area logistics park.

"After the project is implemented, efforts will be made to extend Hainan Free Trade Port policies to the Xuwen area to drive local development," Liu said.

Located on the southernmost tip of the mainland, across the Qiongzhou Strait from Hainan Island, Xuwen Port is the world's largest ro-ro port — the method of loading and unloading ships that involves vehicles boarding the vessels on ramps — and serves as a crucial transportation hub for promoting coordinated development and interconnection between Guangdong, Hainan, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Over the past year, Zhanjiang has formulated a dedicated blueprint to foster development of Xuwen Port in wider sectors as part of its effort to achieve coordinated progress with Hainan. The Zhanjiang city government has rolled out guidelines to promote coordinated planning of channels, hubs, networks, and the integration of port, industry and city development with an eye to facilitating the rapid, convenient, smart, safe and green development of Xuwen Port and the Zhanjiang port complex.

According to the guidelines, efforts will be made to enhance the technical capabilities of the Qiongzhou Strait crossing, ensure smooth and secure crossings, increase shipping value and improve service quality. The city also plans to build a modern comprehensive transportation hub by improving transportation infrastructure such as highways, waterways, railways and aviation in a bid to upgrade the transportation infrastructure.

According to the plan, by 2035 a modern comprehensive multidimensional transportation network will be in place, connecting the Bay Area and Hainan Free Trade Port. It will include three ports, three expressways, two national highways, one high-speed rail, one regular rail and one airport, as well as seaplanes, cruise ships and pleasure craft.

Zhanjiang has also gone the extra mile to continue to deepen comprehensive cooperation with Hainan in areas such as cooperation mechanisms, industries and tourism. For example, the city has worked with Hainan to boost the Qiongzhou Strait Economic Belt by strengthening agricultural cooperation and promoting cultural and tourism exchanges. Those efforts include building two fruit and vegetable production bases with an annual output of approximately 2,000 metric tons, developing special tourist routes and creating a national-level Beibu Gulf marine culture and tourism zone.

In the next phase, Zhanjiang will leverage the synergy of the port resources in Zhanjiang to establish a more efficient Qiongzhou Strait maritime transportation route, foster industrial clusters, and deepen cooperation with Hainan in fields including advanced manufacturing and modern agriculture.

As well, the city will cooperate with Hainan in areas such as industry, tourism, emergency response and more to further integrate with the Bay Area.