Facility for producing chips for intel.

Special steel factory.

IT and outsourcing office.

Diesel engine assembly.

Xu Changyuan, Party secretary.

A new district in the city of Dalian, Liaoning province is looking for more investors who are interested in sharing the incredible growth in one of Northeast China's most promising economies, its Party secretary said.

The Dalian Jinzhou New District was established in April 2010, with its main body as the first national economic and technology development zone.

The new district has four parts: the former Jinzhou, the Jinshitan National Holiday Resort, Dalian Export Processing Zone, and the Dalian Development Area, explained Xu Changyuan, the Party secretary and head of district administration.

Jinzhou covers a 1,040-square-kilometer area and has a population of more than a million and sits to the northeast of Dalian. It is nestled between the Bohai and Huanghai seas, and is part of the Bohai Economic Rim and the Northeast Asia Economic Circle. It is also a "gateway on the sea" that connects the Northeast with the world, and a major industrial zone on Liaoning's coast.

It has good transportation, with the Shenyang-Dalian Expressway, Harbin-Dalian Railway, Dandong-Dalian Expressway, National Highway No. 201, National Highway No. 202, and the urban express railway. The Binhai Road runs along the coast.

The district's deep-water ports handle grain, oil, ore, and automobiles, and Jinzhou Bay, slightly to the west, is expected to get the city's second airport.

The district has 3,500 foreign and 15,000 Chinese investors and has the largest export volume in the Northeast, with its exports reaching more than 100 countries.

It also has plenty of resources, with 12 universities and colleges, with post-doctoral facilities and research centers, 18 vocational schools, and 34 training centers.

Over the next five to 10 years, it is expected to contribute half of Dalian's GDP, and to be Liaoning's third largest economy.

It gets more than 90 percent of its industrial output from three industries - IT, high-level manufacturing, and petrochemicals.

It also has many companies in emerging and strategic areas, such as semiconductor chips, biomedicine, automobiles, green technology, and aviation.

The biomedical companies' output is worth more that 10 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) annually.

In the first half of 2011, the district had 21.82 billion yuan in value added output large companies.

One company, Intel Semiconductor (Dalian) Ltd, has put $2.5 billion into the first phase of its project and contributed eight percentage points to the district's GDP in first half of the year.

Jinzhou has 69 of the Fortune Global 500 companies doing business there, with an average investment of $70 million.

It now designs on becoming Liaoning's major economic force through modern industrial integration. Meanwhile, the city government wants to turn it into a high-tech, high-level, strategic manufacturing and top service industry base.

The government also plans to turn it into a complete town that is not only on the cutting edge of technological innovation, but also a livable, tourist-attracting place.

The development map calls for the district to have a GDP of 280 billion yuan by 2015, with an annual increase of 17 percent.

Fixed investment is expected to reach 300 billion yuan, with an annual increase of 20 percent. The gross industrial output of large enterprises is expected to reach 500 billion yuan, with an annual increase of 19 percent.

The district wants to accelerate development by getting more foreign investment that grows at an annual rate of at least 15 percent, and to increase exports by at least 10 percent annually. At the same time, per capita annual incomes are expected to grow by at least 15 percent.

In the first half of 2011, it approved 74 foreign investment projects, 22 of them worth more than $10 million.

And it has 1,216 Chinese companies, 56 of which have more than 10 million yuan in capital.

It is working on improving its infrastructure, with four power plants, and is looking at more land for expansion purposes.

To increase competitiveness, the district is trying to choose investors who contribute to industrial improvements and good added-value products.

Investors will be given priority, with a shorter government-approval process for their projects.

The district neighbors the only free trade zone in the Northeast, the Dalian Free Trade Zone. Its companies get tax relief and its customs office provides round-the-clock clearance services.

The Jinzhou government has been given an unusual advantage - provincial government status - in approving any investment project of less than $100 million. So, any investors can complete the entire application process inside the district itself. The administrative committee has opened a one-stop office for greater efficiency.

In addition to improving government efficiency, the Jinzhou New District plans to provide a more business-friendly climate.

So, it has been separated into 10 zones, each of which focuses on a specific industry: five set up specially for the service industry, such as tourism, hotels and logistics; four to deal with manufacturing; and one for agricultural technology.

They cover more than 700 square kilometers, or 70 percent of the district.

The other areas function in the following ways:

The Dalian DD (Digital and DNA) Port houses chip manufacturing, biomedicine, semiconductor illumination, and software outsourcing companies.

The Advanced Manufacturing Park handles auto parts, auto assembly, and new energy sources.

The Dengshahe Port Industrial Park's companies deal with national defense and aviation, and some harbor logistics.

The Jinzhou Economic Development Zone focuses on shipbuilding and foundries.

The Dalian Xiaoyaowan International Commercial Zone is being planned with an eye on financing, as the city's new center.

The Dalian Jinshitan National Holiday Resort and the Dalian Golden Bohai Coast Modern Service Industry Zone are set up as tourist attractions.

The Dalian Jinshi International Sports Center can host both soccer events and aquatic sports, such as sailing and windsurfing. It is also planned as a sort of sports lovers' resort.

The Dalian Cold Chain Logistics and Food Processing Park will handle seafood and is designed to be a leader in regional cold chain logistics.

The local government expects these areas to help the new district pull in investment from all over the world and from all kinds of businesses.

Jinzhou's geographical advantages are obvious to all.

Jinzhou is the ideal place for foreign investment and has more than 3,500 foreign-backed companies. Photos Provided to China Daily

A ground-level view of Jinzhou from the harbor area.

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