|
Shapingba spurring high-tech industries
(Business Daily Update Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Author: d Authorities in Shapingba District in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality are building the district into a model base for high-tech industries. As a traditional educational centre, the district has rich research and development (R&D) resources, with the number of research centres in the area accounting for one third of the city's total. The district's strong R&D capacity can help investors sharpen their competitive edge achieving sustainable development. Statistics from the district government show that the incremental value of the high-tech firms accounted for 45 percent of the city's total industrial incremental value in 2005. And sales revenue in the high-tech sector took up 60 percent of the total of the industrial firms. Industrial parks Industrial parks in the district provide effective platforms for developing the high-tech sector. The Chongqing University Technological Park, jointly established by Chongqing University and the Shapingba district government, is seen as a high-tech engine for the city. The park houses a number of higher education institutions, such as the Third Military Medical University and the Logistics Engineering University, which provide a pool of human resources. For most high-tech firms, having the best brains behind technological projects is a key factor in determining whether they can survive in today's heightened competition, especially at the start-up phase. The institute-intensive park thus provides an ideal location for high-tech firms to start-up and has attracted an influx of budding entrepreneurs, eager to start their careers there. At present, 246 firms in the Chongqing University Technological Park are involved in the technology industry and have undertaken a total of 289 high-tech projects, ranging from State, to municipal and district levels. Sales revenues of the firms in the park were registered at 1.3 billion yuan (US$162.5 million) in 2005. Another high-tech zone, Xiyong Microelectronics Industrial Park, is being jointly developed by the municipal and district governments. The construction of the park is listed as a key project in the municipal development plan and will be completed during the 11th Five-Year Program period (2006-10). As a State-level software industry base, the park is mainly focused on chip and software development. With a planned area of 20 square kilometres, the industrial park will consist of a chip manufacturing section, a package and testing section, a software section, an applied product section and a technology innovation section. So far the park has attracted several Fortune Global 500 multinationals, including HP and EDS, and Chinese high-tech firms, such as Founder Group and ASE Group. The value of the park is expected to reach 80 billion yuan (US$10 billion) in 2010. Jingkou Industrial Park is yet another key high-tech industrial base in the district. With a total investment value of 1.2 billion yuan (US$150 million), and a planned area of 6.24 square kilometres, the park is becoming a destination for machinery, electronics, auto and motorcycle manufacturers. Jialing Group, a leading Chinese motorcycle maker, has established operations in the park. New development The district's authorities plan to give priority to development in the electronic information, biological pharmaceuticals, new materials, and optical, mechanical and electronic integration sectors. In particular, the integrated circuit (IC) industry, as a key part of electronic information industry, will receive close attention from the investors. The government is currently making efforts to attract leading IC designers and makers, and help build extended industrial chains, ranging from IC design, manufacture, chip package and testing, to application system production. The development of the IC industry is in turn expected to drive the growth of software and information service industries and inspire growth in the new materials sector. With a sub-centre of the HP global R&D centre established in the park, a growing number of investors are anticipated to join the ranks of advanced software firms covering software outsourcing, information safety, digital entertainment, and applied software development. The output value of the software industry in the district is expected to reach 20 billion yuan (US$2.5 billion) in 2010. As more cutting-edge technologies, such as microelectronics, automatic warehousing and loading and unloading systems, global positioning systems, are applied, the district will improve its transportation and distribution network. With a competitive strength in technologies and human resources, the district is also ambitious about bolstering its biological sector, mainly aimed at biopesticides and biopharmaceuticals, and the creative industry, including architecture, media and fashion. Government's efforts To boost local high-tech industries, the district government is playing an active role in building a friendly environment to attract funds and professional talent. The government has enacted tax incentives and other favourable policies, and is seeking to encourage firms to import, absorb and innovate advanced technologies. In addition, special funds and awards sponsored by the government have been set up, aimed at bolstering technological innovation and spurring development of more innovative technologies. Meanwhile, the government is also extending financial support to human resources training, as one of local politicians' major concerns is assisting firms in building competent work teams. Thus, on the one hand, local authorities have adopted favourable policies to facilitate an inflow of senior professionals to the district, while on the other hand, the authorities also pay attention to fostering indigenous specialists. Capitalizing on the rich higher education resources, the government recruited top experts and has provided funding for key research projects in pillar industries. A cadre of young scientists have been sent to high-tech firms in economically advanced regions to learn about specific technical problems encountered in business operations. In this way, the authorities hope to help solve any technical difficulties experienced by enterprises based in the district.
Copyright 2006 Business Daily Update Source: Financial Times Information Limited - Asia Intelligence Wire.
[ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]
|
TMCnet LOGIN
Webinars
