Southern “marine valley”: Innovative park, cooperative platform

Tom Clifford: While developing maritime and port industries, will Zhanjiang conduct cooperation with foreign education institutions like universities in Europe or Southeast Asia in the fields of industry and maritime business?

Wang: Opening-up and cooperation are important for the progress of human kind. Against the background of economic globalization, for better development of Zhanjiang, cooperation with the rest of the world is indispensable. To develop the harbor industry, Zhanjiang needs to enhance its international cooperation. Our industries have been globalized; all of our raw materials of steel and iron are imported from abroad, and the majority of papermaking materials are imported from Southeast Asian countries. Our energy resources such as coal and oil will be imported from abroad too. In addition to domestic consumption, our industrial products, including steel and iron, crude oil, pulp paper and so on, will be exported to Southeast Asian countries and other nations and regions along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. Cooperation with the rest of the world is needed for the developments of Baosteel Group Corporation, the Zhanjiang steel industry, Sinopec, the Sino-Kuwait Integrated Refining Project and the papermaking industry in Zhanjiang. We need the world to achieve interconnection. Zhanjiang Port is connected with Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania and is open to the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Arctic Ocean and Antarctic Ocean. More and more international container shipping lines have been opened, bringing international vigor to the development of port industry and logistics in Zhanjiang. We need the world for the development of the market economy under the rule of law. It requires the government to create a level business environment and policy platform. The continuous improvement of the modern industrial system also requires us to cultivate a large number of professionals with international vision, including civil servants. This is a challenge posed by Zhanjiang's development. Meanwhile, it will also provide impetus for our industry transformation and upgrading.

Talents are vital for furthering reform and opening-up and strengthening international cooperation. Zhanjiang has a large population, and its scientific educational resources rank second in Guangdong province. It has three full-time institutions of higher learning, including Guangdong Ocean University, Guangdong Medical College and Lingnan Normal University, and a large number of scientific research institutes. The municipal government of Zhanjiang encourages local universities and research institutes to conduct broad and deep cooperation with foreign counterparts. The cooperation between the three higher education institutions in Zhanjiang and overseas universities and research institutes has been on the rise. Guangdong Medical College has carried out exchanges and cooperation with foreign universities as well as teaching and research institutions such as Saint Mary's University, Thompson Rivers University, University of the West of England and the Euro Asian Foundation for Business Education. Guangdong Ocean University has signed exchange and cooperation agreements with Western Australian Druker Institute of Technology, Lincoln University and Chungbuk National University. Lingnan Normal University has established cooperation and exchange relations with 15 universities and 28 primary and high schools in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Hong Kong. The research institutes in Zhanjiang have conducted cooperation with overseas counterparts on a broader scale. For example, the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences (CATAS) has rendered much cooperation with Deakin University in academic and technological research. At present, there are many foreign friends living and working in Zhanjiang.

It can be concluded that investment is the main driving force for the high-speed development of Zhanjiang for many years. However, in the new era of development, especially after China has adopted the “new normal” in economic development, we need to rely on an innovative driving force rather than on the input of factors of production that are no longer sustainable. Science, technology and talent are needed for innovation that will be the major engine for Zhanjiang's development. Now we are making efforts to drive development through innovation. We will focus on taking advantage of marine resources; developing maritime industries; and stimulating development featuring the integration of production, learning, scientific research and application of research results so as to build a “Sea Valley” of South China that stresses the word "sea" and utilizes marine resources to develop maritime technologies and industries and coastal cities. We hope that the development of the southern “maritime valley” will boost the industry transformation and upgrading of Zhanjiang city as well as its scientific and technological development. We hope that it will become a new driving force for the development of Zhanjiang and a new platform for international cooperation. We expect that the development of the southern “maritime valley” will win support and participation from foreign friends and will be known to all through promotion by China Daily.

                                  Development goal: Better life for people

Tom Clifford: Tomorrow is 2015, what is your New Year’s wish?

Wang: During my visit to Germany this year, I used the word "happi" to advertise Zhanjiang; it is an acronym for Harbor, Amazing, Petrochemical, Papermaking and Ironsteel. The word has the same pronunciation as "happy", which is my New Year’s wish to Zhanjiang. On one hand, we wish Zhanjiang people a happier life; on the other hand, we hope that our port's throughput volume will increase from 200 million tons to 300 million tons within three years so that Zhanjiang Port will be re-listed among China's top 10 ports. We hope that Zhanjiang will become more beautiful and amazing. Our three major industries, namely petrochemical, papermaking, and iron and steel, will be established and put into operation as planned and make contributions to ecological environmental protection while driving Zhanjiang’s economic and social development. Here I thank China Daily again for its support for Zhanjiang, and wish both China Daily and Zhanjiang a better future.