Efforts will be made to turn the city of
Hefei into a new pacesetter for opening-up, said Ling Yun, mayor of
Hefei and a deputy to the 13th National People's Congress (NPC), China's
national legislature. Hefei will
promote the construction of platforms that facilitate opening up,
including the Hefei Area of the China (Anhui) Pilot Free Trade Zone
(FTZ), explained Ling during an interview with China.org.cn at the
ongoing fourth session of the 13th NPC. Hefei,
the capital and largest city of Anhui province in east China, is a
sub-center of the Yangtze River Delta city cluster and a comprehensive
national scientific center. According
to Ling, in line with the national development strategy, Hefei has
improved its work mechanisms to promote the construction of the Anhui
FTZ's Hefei Area as well as carried out many institutional innovations. In
addition, centering on the functional positioning of the Anhui FTZ's
Hefei Area, Hefei has supported the development of ten key industries,
including AI and new energy vehicles in an attempt to attract foreign
businesses and investment. Initial progress has been made since the FTZ's Hefei Area was officially inaugurated on Sept. 24, 2020. As
of the end of January 2021, 232 projects have been signed with a total
investment of 107 billion yuan. Meanwhile, the number of newly
established enterprises stood at 2,656 and the registered capital of
domestic-funded enterprises increased by 51.3 billion yuan. Speaking
of the next plans for Hefei to promote a higher level of opening up and
high-quality economic development during the 14th Five-Year Plan
(2021-2025) period, Ling mentioned making greater efforts in various
areas, including scientific research and innovation. In
the 2021 draft plan for national economic and social development
delivered on March 5, 2021, the development of Hefei comprehensive
national science center is listed as an important task in strengthening
China's capacity for scientific and technological innovation. In
order to strengthen science and technology sectors as strategic support
for national development, Ling suggested further construction of Hefei
comprehensive national science center, building the city into a national
hub for big data centers. Besides
emphasizing scientific research and innovation, Ling also highlighted
the development of strategic emerging industries, including those
related to the manufacture of computer chips, flat-panel displays,
industrial robots, and various electronic equipment, as well as the
integration of the AI and manufacturing industries. Boosting
investment, import and export trade, and promoting the integrated
development of the Yangtze River Delta will also be key tasks for Hefei
to achieve a high-standard opening up. In
2020, the city's total import and export volume stood at $37.487
billion, 1.8 times that of 2015, with an average annual growth rate of
12.1%, ranking 8th among provincial capital cities in China. As of the
end of 2020, a total of 49 overseas Fortune Global 500 companies have
invested in Hefei and established 67 corporate companies in the city. "Hefei
will scale up efforts to build itself into a national-level
China-Europe freight train distribution hub, an international air
freight distribution center, and the shipping center in the Yangtze and
Huaihe river basins, giving greater play to its role as a comprehensive
bonded zone and a cross-border e-commerce comprehensive pilot zone, and
stimulating the high-quality development of foreign trade," Ling said. "Efforts
will be put into accelerating the development of a group of leading
foreign trade enterprises and encouraging more enterprises with
competitive advantages to go global," Ling added. "We will transform
government functions at a faster pace and carry out reform in various
areas including the provision of efficient government services to make
it easier for companies to get things done and to foster a world-class
business environment."
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