Qingdao, one of China's most beautiful coastal cities, is a major seaport and economic center in China. Photos Provided to China Daily

Overall plan of the Qingdao West Coast Economic New Zone, an economic engine that could rival the city as a whole in the next five years.

Artist's rendering of Qingdao's Sino-German Eco-park, which is planned as a demonstration park of advanced technology, high-end industry and eco-friendly residence.

View of the Qingdao West Coast Economic New Zone Liu Shuping / for China Daily

Editor's Note: Within five years, a completely new "city within a city" will be formed on the western coast of Qingdao in East China's Shandong province. This plan is going to be realized through the efforts of the Qingdao government to implement a strategy to develop the West Coast Economic New Zone. With sound infrastructure, the latest planning and technology, and considerable financial support from the central government, the new zone is expected to shape the landscape of the already magnificent city of Qingdao, and the Qingdao government expects it to be similar to Shanghai's Pudong New Area, a place with great character and bold ideas.

The coastal city Qingdao in Shandong province aims to develop a new economic zone on its west coast, pledging to build it into an economic engine that could rival the city as a whole in terms of economic output in the next five years.

The West Coast Economic New Zone has been planned and constructed in response to the nation's call to develop the marine economy in Shandong peninsula, and the development strategy was elaborately laid out by the State Council.

It is expected to grow into a leading economic hub that can drive the development of the whole province's marine economy, said senior officials from the local and provincial government.

"The development of the city must be oriented toward the sea, depend on the sea resources, and complete the transformation to a marine-oriented economy, with the goal of building the new zone on the west coast, and building a 'blue silicon valley' in the east." Said Li Qun, Party secretary of Qingdao.

In March, Qingdao published a strategic development plan, which said the economic zone is planned to cover the Qingdao Economic and Technological Development Area (in Huangdao peninsula) and Jiaonan county.

The zone will have a land area of 2,096 square kilometers, a marine area of 5,000 sq km and a population of 132,000.

Last year, this area registered a GDP of 182.3 billion yuan ($28.62 billion), local fiscal revenue of 10.2 billion yuan, industrial output of 419.5 billion yuan, accounting for 27.6 percent, 18 percent and 34.2 percent of Qingdao's total, respectively.

"The western coastal area is rich in marine and shoreline resources. Qingdao has more than 700 kilometers of coastlines, 300 kilometers of which belong to this area. The advantageous shoreline gives us the ability to develop marine equipment manufacturing as well as marine-related industries and the services sector," Li said.

Advantages

Li Qun said that the west coast has extraordinary strategic significance because it lies in the middle of the Greater Beijing Area and the Yangtze River Delta, two of the most crucial economic areas of China. The west coast faces Japan, South Korea and the Pacific Ocean, and it has the largest port outlet for neighboring regions.

"Such a great geographic advantage enables it to develop with sufficient driving force," said Li, who is also a member of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial Party Committee.

He added that the region boasts an ideal advanced infrastructure, and it is among the top provinces in terms of its number of coastal development parks.

This region houses a national economic and technological development zone, a bonded harbor area, an export processing zone, a demonstration park for new technology development as well as the Sino-German Eco-park.

Qingdao Economic and Technological Development Area covers an area of 274.1 sq km, with a population of 630,000. Its GDP in 2011 reached 117.46 billion yuan, accounting for 20 percent of Qingdao's total, while it only has 2.4 percent of Qingdao's land area. It also created 25 percent of Qingdao's industrial output.

The area has also been ranked fifth on the composite index for investment environment among all the country's national development parks for an eighth consecutive year.

Qingdao Bonded Harbor Area covers a planned area of 9.72 sq km and has 21 quay berths. It features a 2.5 sq km bonded area granted by the State Council in 1992, a 1 sq km bonded logistics park and the Qingdao Qianwan Port, North China's largest foreign trade container port.

According to the development goal set by the governments of Germany and China, the Sino-German Eco-park will be built to be a demonstration park of advanced technology, high-end industry and eco-friendly residence within the next 10 years.

"The development of the West Coast Economic New Zone will provide a great impetus for Qingdao's marine economy and make the city the undisputed leader in marine economy in China," Li said.

There are two international ports in the area - Qianwan and Dongjiakou - which play an important role in this area's opening-up.

Qingdao Qianwan Container Terminal is doing logistics and passenger transport businesses with 450 ports in more than 130 countries and regions around the world.

To date, nine of the world's top 500 enterprises have settled in the Qingdao Port, the seventh largest port and also the eighth largest container port in the world.

The development of Dongjiakou Port has focused on constructing a trading center for bulk cargo and an energy conservation center, with the aim of building it into a fourth-generation port characterized by modern logistics trade.

Contact the writers at xiechuanjiao@chinadaily.com.cn and zhuanti@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 06/13/2012 page24)