BICDS

Established in 1994, Tianjin Binhai New Area (TBNA) is the result of actively implementing the strategic arrangement of the Central Committee of the CPC and the State Council for reform and opening-up, which is expected to serve the economic development of the circum-Bohai region and China's north. And the Fourth Plenary Session of the Tenth National People's Congress explicitly pointed out that efforts would be made to "promote the development and opening-up of the TBNA" and include the TBNA into the national development strategy. TBNA has officially been granted a state-level status.

With a planned area of 2,270 km2, a coastline of 153 km long, and a resident population of 1.4 million, TBNA lies in the center of the Circum-Bohai Region and the eastern seaboard of Tianjin. It includes such three function zones as Tianjin Port, Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA), and Tianjin Port Free Trade Zone, such three administrative districts as Tanggu District, Hangu District, and Dagang District, and part of Dongli District and Jinnan District. With a favorable geographic location, rich natural resources, a concentration of talents in science and technology, a solid industrial foundation, and convenient transportation and communications, the TBNA enjoys the comprehensive advantage of having an international port, highly open function zones, and large tracts of land open for development.

According to China's roadmap of regional economic growth, the function of the TNCD is positioned as: “By basing itself upon Tianjin, depending upon Beijing and Hebei Province, serving the Circum-Bohai Region, radiating its influence into the North China, Northeast China, and Northwest China, and facing the Northeast Asia, Tianjin New Coastal District is to be turned into an advanced modern manufacturing and R&D transformation base, an international shipping center and logistics center in the north of China, and an eco-city with ideal setting for human existence." We should focus on two respects. One is to turn the TNCD into a new modernized economic zone which is highly open, socially harmonious, and environment-friendly to serve the revitalization of the regional economy. The other is to launch pilot comprehensive supporting reforms in the TNCD to accumulate experience and reference for regional reform and opening.

According to such a positioning, the TNCD's development goal is to accomplish an average annual increase of 17% in the Eleventh Five-Year period for the GDP to reach more than 320 billion RMB by 2010, an average annual increase of 20% for the fiscal revenue to reach more than 50 billion RMB, an urbanization level of 90%, a ratio of over 50% of the hi-tech industrial output value in the total industrial output value, a decrease of over 20% in the energy consumption per unit GDP over the end of the Tenth Five-Year Plan period, good protection of the eco-environment, increasingly steadier sustainable development, notable improvement of the overall function, all-around development of social undertakings, and new progress in constructing a harmonious city.

And now, we are trying all our best to

build the TBNA into a base of modern manufacturing, R&D and incubation and stick to the Neo-industrialization path.

While continuing to cement and expand IT & electronics, petro-chemistry, auto & equipment manufacturing, modern metallurgy and bio-medicine, we will make more innovations in aviation and aerospace sectors and accelerate our efforts to shape this region into a state-level advanced manufacturing & processing base. By 2010, local industrial value added is expected to hit 230 billion RMB and total export value will be well over 35 billion dollars.

To facilitate the development of hi-tech sectors, we will put independent innovation first and build more R&D and hi-tech incubation centers. The clustering, pioneering and driving role of hi-tech resources will be further highlighted. The capacity of original innovation, integrated innovation and technology digestion should be boosted on a constant basis and the institution for R&D and application of hi-tech achievements should be further consummated so as to upgrade our overall technology level and competitiveness. By 2010, the output value of hi-tech sectors is expected to account for over 50% of the TBNA's total. By that time, there will be 100 national or municipal-level R&D entities and 200 above-municipal-level R&D centers in this region.

accelerate our efforts to construct the TBNA into an international shipping & logistics center and give more impetus to those modern service sectors with unique TBNA characteristics.

We will make full use of our existing advantages such as geographic location, resources and industrial foundation, gear up infrastructure construction, and continue the expansion and upgrade of airport and seaport through increasing sea/air lines and new functions. These efforts will help to improve enterprise clustering, market vibrancy and supporting services for this international transportation hub. The Dongjiang Port Area, as a key project of the TBNA, is expected to serve as the number one gathering point for international trade (e.g. international transfer, international distribution, international procurement and international entrepot trade) in North China. By 2010, local port will be able to handle over 300 million tons of cargoes and 10 million TEUs. The passenger turnover of local airport will reach 5.6 million person times and its cargo & mail turnover 0.5 million tons. The total imports and exports value will reach 200 billion dollars.

Logistics construction will be expedited so as to create a modernized port-centered sea-land-air logistics system. Six logistics bases will be built to create a multi-level, open and large-scale network, supplemented by sub-centers with more segmented functions such as assembly, transit, storage, processing and distribution. Logistics market will be further expanded and the logistics informatization and standardization work promoted so as to make this region a real-sense logistics hub. By 2010, the value-added of logistics sector will reach 65 billion RMB, accounting for 58% of total value-added of the TBNA's all service sectors. Natural resources such as river, sea, lake, wetland and terrestrial heat is to be fully utilized to make the TBNA a regional entertainment & tourism destination. In one word, the TBNA is expected to become more competitive and better serve and activate neighboring economies through developing modern service sectors such as port logistics, finance & trade, exhibition tourism, etc.

accelerate the development of circular economy and make the TBNA more eco-friendly.

We will efficientize the consumption of water, energy, land and materials and encourage the comprehensive use of resources. TEDA and the Dagang Petrochemical Park will be built into eco-industrial parks. Four circular economy industrial chains (i.e. petro-chemistry, auto, metallurgy, and power & seawater desalination) will take shape. The environment admittance requirements will be strictly followed and those enterprises or products with high consumption, high emission, high pollution and low economic returns will be resolutely eliminated from the market. By 2010, the energy consumption per unit GDP will drop by over 20% and the industrial consumption of fresh water will be cut by 30%. The comprehensive utilization rate of industrial solid waste will reach 95%. Two eco conservation areas (with a total area of 500 square kilometers) will be set up and properly taken care of. Five eco-corridors will be set up along side the coast, river and expressways together with several eco sub-zones. Environment protection and disaster reduction & prevention efforts will be intensified. By 2010, the total greening coverage rate of the TBNA is expected to reach 40%.The centralized disposal rate of urban sewage is expected reach 90%. Water quality of the main channels of downstream Haihe River is expected to reach the standard of Grade IV, with the eutrophication tendency in the offshore water body effectively curbed. These comprehensive conservation measures will guarantee the harmonious relationship between residents, resources and environment in the TBNA.

coordinate urban development with rural development and make concrete progresses in the building of the new socialist countryside.

We will make more vigorous efforts to transform the rural-urban dualistic structure, uplift the urbanization level of the rural area. A unified planning will be worked out to better arrange the infrastructure construction, environment protection, layout of key industries and social undertakings of the rural area. Separate villages and towns will be merged, abolished or relocated in order to minimize administrative redundancies. The rural population is encouraged to converge on urban area, so are enterprises on industrial parks. Rural land resources will be integrated to create a scale effect. In this way, our urbanization will proceed on a healthy and orderly track.

We will highlight the coastal metropolitan features in our agricultural production and bolster the capacity of rural economy. We will develop environment-friendly food, green food and organic food, cultivate local specialty agriculture products, and construct and further upgrade agriculture hi-tech parks. We will expand the capacity of local sea ranches and high-sea fishery, and strengthen the deep-processing of seafood. We will also set up a large-scale regional aquatic product fair so as that better satisfy the market needs of North China, Northeast China and Northwest China.

improve urban construction so as to achieve social harmony.

In response to the robust development trend of the TBNA, we will mend our pace on urban infrastructure construction, which will include 34 major supporting projects of the Tianjin Port (e.g. the 250,000-ton deepwater channel and the 300,000-ton crude oil terminal), the reconstruction and expansion of the Binhai International Airport, the Beijing-Tianjin Inter-city railway, the multi-track of Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Expressway, and the Coastal Expressway (or transliterated as Haibindadao). These key transportation projects will further update the traffic of the TBNA. We will also improve energy supply, develop sea water desalination and encourage the direct use of sea water in industrial projects. By 2010, the total installed capacity of local power supply is expected to reach 5.6 million KW and the sea water desalination capacity will be 0.5 million tons/day.

According to the scientific development concept, we will intensify our efforts in education, culture, health, sports and social security. The development of rural and urban development will be coordinated and the social security standard of the rural area will be uplifted so as to shape a more integrated rural-urban public service network and change the rural-urban dualistic structure. We will create more job opportunities and increase residents' income. We will strengthen the existing channels for democratic participation and set up contradiction solving mechanism so as to achieve social harmony. By 2010, the per capita disposal income of urban residents is expected to reach 25,000 RMB. During the eleventh-five-year plan period, over 300,000 new jobs will be created to ensure the coordinated social and economic development of the TBNA.

We Will Have TBNA Play a Driving and Demonstration Role as a Pilot Farm for China's Comprehensive Reform.

Launch reform and innovation in the financial sector. The State Council has clearly provided that China's future financial reform and innovation plans will be first tested in the TBNA. Our trial reform will start with industry investment fund, venture capital investment, the mix-operation of financial sector, multi-ownership financial enterprises, foreign exchange administrative policies, and offshore financing. Currently we are revising the implementation scheme of industry investment fund so as to put it into practice at an early date.
Launch land administration reform. We will optimize the structure of land use and innovate upon land administrative methods. Also, to better facilitate the agriculture industrialization, rural industrialization and rural urbanization in the TBNA, our reform will involve the turnover of rural collectively-owned construction land, the distribution of rural land revenue, and the strengthening of government control over land supply. We have already set up the TBNA Land Consolidation and Reserve Center. Specific implementation roadmaps are under preparation. All in all, we want to have land resources play a more instructive and powerful role in local economic development in the coming era.
Accelerate our exploration in the supervision institution within special customs zones through setting up the Dongjiang Bonded Port, from which we expect to find a feasible way of transforming a bonded area/port into a free trade zone so as to uplift the opening-up level of the TBNA.
Fully utilize the supportive fiscal policies granted by the State to the TBNA. We will speed up the renovation, alteration and restructuring of enterprises, give more impetus to hi-tech sector and intensify environment protection.

With the opening-up and development of the TBNA proceeding to further depth, we will also step up the administrative institution reform and try to find an unified, coordinated, streamlined, efficient and corruption-proof operation mechanism which can give full play to the overall advantages of the TBNA and realize common development.