16 guangzhouspecial WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 2011 DAILY steps outside to fi nd funds for area growth

By ZHAN LISHENG for the period was above $18 The mayor explained that emerging industries refer to billion. Guangzhou will have a 20-bil- new-energy automobiles, The city of Guangzhou Qingliang, mayor of lion-yuan budget to support alternative energies, environ- wants to woo more heavy- Guangzhou, had this to add, “strategic growth industries” mental protection, and marine weight investors for its “Th e new investment from the — meaning modern services, engineering. manufacturing, research, Beijing and Shanghai events advanced manufacturing and The city of Guangzhou is and service sectors, so it had will help Guangzhou perfect emerging industries — dur- also asking investors to get two big promotions recently its industrial structure. ing the 12th Five-Year Plan involved in the new China- in Beijing and Shanghai to “Cooperating with these (2011-2015). Singapore Knowledge City, describe the opportunities it partners will give Guangzhou Modern services generally the Nansha New District, has to off er. future investment potential, include exhibitions and con- Tianhe Intelligence Town, And it is looking at similar and will bring in profession- ventions, logistics, creativity and Guangzhou Healthcare events in the coming months als, technological resources, projects, fi nance, and tourism. Industry Town. All of these PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY for Xi’an, in Shaanxi province, and international business Advanced manufacturing cov- are considered key facilities The booming southern metropolis has been and will continue to be an attractive destination for and Hong Kong, Macao, as expertise to help improve its ers the IT, biotechnology and for developing strategic investors from China and abroad. well as developed countries development pattern.” new materials sectors. And industries. and regions. The capital of province got 723 billion yuan Making a new starting point in investment for more than one hundred projects at the Beijing event held in March. About 80 percent of these are in its economic development in modern services, advanced manufacturing, emerging By LAO ZHAN development planning and In the area of logistics, industries or R&D. resources deployment. Guangzhou International Air- Th e investors include large After undergoing years of More than 80 percent of the port handled more than 40 mil- State-owned enterprises reforms, Guangzhou has man- city’s fixed-asset investment lion passengers and 1.14 million (SOEs), universities, research aged to make some headway went to the service sector in tons of cargo in 2010, putting it institutes, multinationals, in transforming its pattern of 2010, city statistics show. on the world’s top 15 list. and other private-sector growth, and the service indus- Th e service industry achieve- The Port of Guangzhou businesses. try is accounting for an increas- ments include the booming handled over 400 million tons The Shanghai event, in ing share in the economy, convention and exhibition of bulk cargo and 12 million April, got backing for 74 according to the city’s mayor business, fi nance, logistics, and containers last year. projects that needed 160.04 The local government has made an extended eff ort to improve its environment to make the city . creativity business, Wan said. And, as far as the creativ- billion yuan in capital. a better place to live. Th is can be seen at least in Its major events have includ- ity business is concerned, The Guangzhou Party two ways, according to Wan. ed the Canton Fair, Guangzhou the city’s cartoon output chief, , It contributed more than 60 Expo, Auto Guangzhou, and a accounts for more than 30 has spoken highly of the role percent of the city’s GDP in large number of trade shows for percent of the domestic investors have already played 2009 and, in 2010, it accounted various industries. Th ese have market, while, Guangzhou in his city’s development. for more than 50 percent of brought the city the “China’s International Design Week “The high-profile, large the total number of employ- most dynamic city for conven- has become a major interna- cooperation with the investors ees in all industrial sectors in tions and exhibitions” title, for tional event. is one of the important reasons Guangzhou. three consecutive years. And it The mayor mentioned behind Guangzhou’s rapid “Th ese fi gures indicate a new took fi rst place as “Forbes best the advanced manufactur- economic growth and the starting point for Guangzhou business city on the Chinese ing industry, saying that city’s completely new facelift ,” in its economic development,” mainland”, in 2010. Guangzhou’s competitiveness Zhang pointed out proudly. Wan said. In finance, the amount of in car manufacturing, ship- Zhang said that the The modern services deposits it holds, amount of building, and nuclear power investments from large SOEs sector, along with other equity transactions, and total equipment puts it among the amounted to more than 300 strategic growth areas like revenues of financial institu- top three among all cities in billion yuan in the 11th Five- advanced manufacturing, tions put it in third place, terms of research, development Year Plan (2006-2010) , while New facilities like Guangzhou Southern Railway Station are strengthening the city’s links to the has been given priority in nationally, in 2010. and production. committed foreign investment rest of the nation and the world.