Aug. 26 - Located to the northeast of the Xiaoshan district of Hangzhou and sitting along the south bank of the Qiantang River, the Linjiang Industrial Zone (LjIZ) was built in 2003 as a provincial-level zone with an area of 74.31 square kilometers.

According to its development plan, the LjIZ was established to meet the need for land lacking in other zones. Another objective is to lay the primary infrastructure for the future urban expansion of the Xiaoshan district.

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Aug. 21 - In our third look at Olympic cities, we focus on Tianjin, Beijing’s next door neighbor, and a powerful city in its own right. Second only to Beijing and Shanghai, Tianjin is deserving of its own provincial status; the local government here reports to the central government, not a provincial one. The city has invested close to US$1 billion in its own Olympics facilities, which have been home, like Shenyang, to the Olympic soccer matches. The new stadium holds 60,000, and includes six levels of seating, conference facilities in addition to minor sporting venues.

Tianjin is another ex-treaty port, with extensive German influences. As the main port servicing Beijing, it has also developed a large manufacturing base, with TEDA being one of the best known and better developed business zones in the country. China’s third largest port, Tianjin is also strategically important as being the distribution gateway for products manufactured in West China—its extensive rail links connect it directly to Xinjiang province. (more…)

Aug. 19 – Qingdao, the ex-German treaty port, is now in the heart of its own Olympics events as it hosts the yachting races and speed trials for the Beijing Summer Games. Hampered somewhat by the seasonal lack of wind—some days racing has had to be canceled, and events left potentially open to just one heat for medals—the traditional sailing nations have fared well, particularly for Britain and Australia.

Yet, when we surveyed the city for infrastructure issues in handling the yachting events, it seemed problematic, as we reported nearly three years ago. Additional problems with the cities lack of sailing expertise had created numerous embarrassments—no appreciation for the tidal surge here (it’s a whopping seven feet), issues over gantry cranes to lift yachts out of the water that require removal of center masts—which had all been highlighted as areas of concern by Dezan Shira & Associates to the city government. (more…)

Aug. 12 - Officials from the Zhejiang provincial development and reform commission assured that while companies in the region were suffering from financial difficulties, it was not as grave as previously reported in the media.

“Private firms in our province did suffer a reduction in profit, tight liquidity and a low level of creativity,” Liu Ting, deputy director of the Zhejiang provincial development and reform commission, told Xinhua.

Zhejiang province is home to 203 firms included in the country’s top 500 private companies. Businesses active in the export industry have been feeling the pressure from tighter currency policy, rising prices of raw material and changes in tax policies.

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BEIJING, Aug. 7 - Beijing’s gross domestic product is expected to break the RMB1 trillion mark this year thanks to its hosting of the Olympic Games, said the deputy director of the city’s development and reform commission.

Wang Haiping, deputy director of the Municipal Development and Reform Commission said that the Games had kept Beijing’s economy strong, helping the city achieve “sound and fast economic development.”

Beijing’s GDP grew 12.3 percent in 2007 to stand at RMB900 billion, twice that of 2001 when it won the bid to host the Games, Wang said. The city has seen an average annual GDP growth of 12.4 percent. (more…)

TIANJIN, Aug. 5 - Under Tianjin’s current campaign for development, plans are underway to launch accelerated industry enhancement, improve scientific and technological innovation, and enhance the local living standard and overall domestic economy.

As a key player, the Tianjin Economic and Technological Development Area (TEDA) is reforming the Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA), located on the eastern coast of Tianjin. In addition, TEDA also supports innovative change in executive management, state-owned companies, and social matters.

Established in 1984, TEDA is one of China’s first state-approved and national-level development areas as well as one of three functional zones of the Binhai New Area. (more…)

July 31 - The long awaited bridge planned to connect Zhuhai in Mainland China to Hong Kong via Macau is likely to be funded by the regional governments if a new proposal is approved by the State Council.

The giant project—a proposed series of bridges and tunnels that would connect the west side of Hong Kong with Macau and the mainland city of Zhuhai—is expected to cost USD$2-3.7 billion and feature a 29 kilometer bridge. Upon completion, the bridge would become a landmark of the region, comparable to the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in New Orleans, the world’s longest bridge at 38.4 kilometers. A decision is expected early next week. (more…)

By Marco Ferrari

July 31 – As first tier cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou have become more and more crowded, investors have started seeking out new developing industrial areas that can offer greater opportunities and better conditions. Changzhou, located in the southern part of Jiangsu province, and sitting between the two metropolitan cities of Shanghai and Nanjing, is attracting a new wave of foreign investment.

Established in 1992, the Changzhou National Hi-Tech District (CND) is the major development zone in Changzhou. It lies to the north of the city, bordering the Yangtze River in the north and the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway and Beijing-Shanghai railway in the south. Thanks to the ISO14001 certificate, designed to help organizations worldwide manage environmental risk and impact, the CND has attracted many overseas investors. So far, over 10,000 enterprises, mostly from Europe and the United States, have registered in the high-tech district, of which 5,000 are industrial enterprises and about 1,000 are overseas-invested companies. (more…)

SHANGHAI, July 30 –The municipal government of Shanghai has announced new regulations in an effort to urge more top multinational companies to establish regional headquarters in the city.

The regulations will qualify a newly registered company to get funding from the Shanghai government during its start-up period and preferential rental policy. In addition, it will allow high-level foreign managers to apply for permanent residency status.

These companies will also be given expedited service in terms of work permits for both their foreign and domestic employees. To qualify as a regional headquarters, the company should have the comprehensive functions of operation management, capital management, research and development, sales, logistics and support service.

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By Jean-Charles Briand

NINGBO, July 29 - The Ningbo National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, located northeast of the city center and to the west of the Beilun District and the Ningbo port, serves as a powerful instrument for Ningbo’s shift from a single export-oriented model to that of a more comprehensive economy.

NBHTZ, which covers an area of 18.9 square kilometers, was created in 1999 and upgraded to a state level zone in January 2007. In line with these policies, NBHTZ has succeeded in bringing together more than 2,000 high-tech companies through preferential policies such as tax rebates, low rent or subsidies for equipment and also through the construction of a 250,000 square meter entrepreneurship base. Currently there are almost 600 enterprises in the zone. (more…)