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Shipbuilding has been an important part of the economy of the Changxing Island Harbor Industrial Zone throughout its history. By September of this year, the area had attracted investment worth more than 60 billion yuan. One such investor is South Korea's STX Group, the fourth largest ship manufacturer in the world, whose investment accounts for more than one fifth of the total in the region.
At present, the zone has also signed contracts with the STX (Dalian) Shipbuilding Group, the Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company, Singapore's IMC Group, and the International Marine Containers (Group) Ltd (CIMC). Facilities for shipbuilding and other marine engineering initiatives are currently under construction for all four of these major businesses.
When these new facilities enter operation, the annual shipbuilding capacity in the region will reach 15.6 million deadweight (dwt), which will make the island the largest shipbuilding base in China.
The Changxing zone, which consists of five islands, is located in the central west of the Liaodong peninsula. The shore area covers 349.5 sq km and is the only remaining unexploited deep-water shoreline in the country.
According to Xu Changyuan, director of the administration committee of the Changxing Island Harbor Industry Zone, the zone will focus on the development of a number of key industries, including shipbuilding, equipment manufacturing, petrochemicals, fine steel and port logistics.
Xu said that despite the impact of the global financial crisis on the world's economy, the key economic indicators in the region had shown a continuous increase of 60 percent over the first eight months of this year. The GDP of the area reached 2.25 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 62 percent.
At present, the area is accelerating its program to build more ore and crude oil terminals. The local authorities are also working to attract more capital and more companies to the region. Businesses being targeted include Japan's Namura Shipbuilding Company, China First Heavy Industries, and Sany Heavy Industry.
According to general plan of Changxing Island, it will evolve as a multi-functional modern and comprehensive international deep-water zone, with a port coastline of 91.2 km and a long-term cargo handling capacity of 500 million tons.
Xu said that they will invest 10 billion yuan each year over the coming three years on the basis of an accumulated investment of 16 billion yuan in the past three years, accelerating the infrastructure construction of roads, railways and the hydropower in the area.
By 2020, the area is expected to have a regional GDP of more than 130 billion yuan, an annual cargo handling capacity of over 100 million tons and a permanent population of one million.
Source: chinadaily Author: Lu Jie |
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