Industries in the Dongying economic development zone in the Yellow River Delta are looking for connections with major international companies and investment from outside to speed up economic growth.

Li Jinkun, director of the economic development zone, in Shandong province, explained, "By teaming with leading multinationals, the zone can become a pivotal development area for high-tech industries."

The zone had a total output value of 18.7 billion yuan ($2.88 billion) in 2010, a year-on-year increase of 22 percent.

Industrial companies had a gross output value of 70 billion yuan, up 34.6 percent.

Foreign trade amounted to $3 billion, up 171 percent, with foreign investment in actual use standing at $115 million, an increase of 177 percent.

Last month, the zone started 16 high-level projects that brought in 23.7 billion yuan in investment, in all. It is planning to introduce 20 more projects, with an anticipated investment of more than 100 million yuan each.

This year, it is expected to see sales worth 100 billion yuan and finance revenues of 1 billion yuan, and have more than $200 million worth of foreign capital.

"We're committed to developing advanced industries and a modern, competitive industrial system. We're set to become a significant industrial cluster in the delta by 2015, with sales of more than 300 billion yuan," Li said.

They plan to focus on electronic information, new energy, digitally controlled machine, gas engines, wind power equipment, and advanced materials, he added.

A 10-sq-km petroleum equipment manufacturing park, with a production base, R D center, and service facilities, is now under construction.

A 15-sq-km science and technology park will be built to support electronic information and advanced manufacturing. Also in the works is a 17-sq-km new energy industrial park, a 20-sq-km advanced material production base, and a 4-sq-km high-tech industrial center.

With its solid industrial foundation and sound development plans, the zone has in fact become a popular place to invest. It has 109 major projects, with a total of 45.4 billion yuan in backing.

They include a large integrated circuit project, a Guangzhou Gonow automobile and a wind power equipment project. Another 67 key projects are under construction, at a total cost of at least 53 billion yuan.

Dongying zone is home to 45 high-tech companies, whose output value accounts for about 42 percent of the zone's GDP. The Tech Top Opto-Electronics Technology Co Ltd, which specializes in LED chips, LED applications, and other opto-electronic products, is cooperating with many of the world's top 500 companies such as the Haier Group, and the US' General Electric and Cree Group.

Shengli Highland, an oilfield equipment company, has teamed up with Britain's Weir Group in a high-pressure pump project.

Meanwhile, the zone's management committee is trying to make the business environment more user friendly by providing technological and human resources support, financial services, and a sound infrastructure.

It has a national technology park with more than 40 research institutes, and a cloud computing center and IT public service operation are up and running and are attracting over 50 software companies.

In the future, there will be an academic work center and personnel training base and 3 billion yuan will be allocated for infrastructure.

(China Daily 04/26/2011 page24)