This year, the Jiading district of Shanghai will copy the policies of the city’s Free Trade Zone by focusing on developing e-commerce, the finance business, imports, and service outsourcing. The district has reached out to foreign companies in the free trade zone to help it change itself from a simple export and processing area to a comprehensive bonded zone.
It will draw up a three-year plan and related policies this year to improve its own Industrial Zone and make it a national high-tech zone. The output value of the district’s automobile industry has exceeded 300 billion yuan for the first time and accounts for more than 70 percent of all industries.
It has also begun work on major auto parts projects and R&D sites, including improvements on Shanghai Volkswagen’s base in the Anting area and the settling of Volvo’s distribution center in the district. And, hopes are high that strategic emerging industries can have an output value of 50 billion yuan this year, and year-on-year growth of 4 percent.
Another focus of the district is modern services, including culture and innovation, advertising, and new finance industries, such as equity funds and fund-raising, as well as looking for larger projects and investment in its North Hongqiao E-commerce Industrial Park. The new area will speed up improvements on its commercial facilities and build a “smart city” and infrastructure for 4G.
Meanwhile, its old city will be developed to show its charm with a mixture of the old and new for a perfect fit.
Edited by Lin Hong and Roger Bradshaw