Liaoning banks on growth momentum to open investment avenues

Austrian Robert Moser never thought he would stay in Shenyang for another 10 years when he first came to China, looking for his dream and a better future in 2008.

With the help of the local government and some European companies, Moser is now setting up an international school aiming to provide the best education service for foreign families who are attracted here by the career prospects and good environment.

Liaoning boasts over 2,000 kilometers of coastline, major ports in Northeast Asia and the central government's full support of building the opening-up gateway of northeastern China, said Chen Qiufa, Liaoning's Party secretary.

"This year, Liaoning has maintained a sound development momentum with a 6.1 percent GDP growth rate in the first quarter and caught up with the average development pace of the country," he said at a news conference on the revitalization and development of Liaoning on Tuesday in Beijing.

"It is the first time since the fourth quarter of 2014 that our growth rate surpassed 6 percent."

As the country's major granary and manufacturing base, Liaoning has a population of 43.69 million and its area is 148,000 square kilometers, which is equal to the combined size of Austria and Croatia.

But in the past decades, the province's development has lagged behind due to industrial decline, falling investment and a daunting business environment.

In April 2016, the central government rolled out new measures to revitalize the region. Reforms were carried out with a series of supporting policies released, a free trade zone set up in Liaoning, administration streamlined and the business environment improved.

In fact, the market has rewarded brave pioneers who took the chance decades ago.

BMW's China joint venture, BMW Brilliance Automotive (BBA) became a cornerstone of the auto giant 16 years ago.

Under the latest strategic cooperation agreement, BMW and its Chinese partner will invest another 3 billion euros ($3.4 billion) to upgrade facilities and build electric vehicle factories to serve the Chinese and global markets.

"Sino-German cooperation has a bright future because many German traders have upgraded to investors and integrated into the local economic ecosystem," said Thorsten Giehler, GIZ country director in China.

Besides the cooperation with Germany, Liaoning launched a cooperation project with Central and Eastern European Countries (CEEC) in recent years, led by Tang Yijun, governor of Liaoning province.

He decided to build the coastal province into a demonstration zone between China and CEEC countries through investment, transportation and cultural exchange.

And Liaoning is to host the China-CEEC local leaders' meeting next year.

"CEEC has a lot of goods we need, such as high-quality machinery, agricultural products and food. We have many advantages in infrastructure construction, manufacturing and modern agriculture. The cooperation is win-win," the governor said.

Tang was backed by Dan Tarcea, deputy mayor of Cluj-Napoca in Romania, who suggested the cooperation to enhance economic development and mutual cultural understanding.

According to the data from Liaoning commerce department, last year imports and exports between Liaoning and CEEC countries reached 15.7 billion yuan ($2.28 billion), an increase of 32 percent year-on-year.

Li Kai, deputy director of the Northeast Revitalization Research Institute under Northeastern University, pointed out that it is the golden time for Liaoning to set up the China-CEEC center to promote regional stability and economic prosperity.

"China has certainly provided a lot of opportunities for me, both professionally and personally," said Johannes Karlinger, director of the Goethe language center in Liaoning.