A new strategy has been launched to revitalize the old
industrial sector of Northeast China's Liaoning Province.
A development plan, called "five spots and one line", will take
advantage of the province's coastal areas and the resources from
its central city clusters, Li Keqiang, secretary of the Liaoning
provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, revealed
yesterday.
The "five spots" are five key economic areas along the
province's coast incorporating six coastal cities: Dalian, Dandong,
Jinzhou, Yingkou, Panjin and Huludao. The "one line" is a road that
connects the six cities along the coast.
"That is to make full use of the 2,200 kilometers of coastlines
and 430 kilometers of port lines to boost the areas," Li said.
More than 2,000 square kilometers of coast could be developed
for industrial use, Li said.
Northeast China boasts enterprises that once were the nation's
backbone producers.
However, it lost its competitive edge after China adopted its
reform and development policy in 1979. Following that, its
development lagged far behind that of the country's thriving east
coast area.
At a press conference, each city within the economic belt
revealed its own plan.
Xia Deren, mayor of Dalian, one of China's major ports, said he
wants the city to become an important international shipping center
in Northeast Asia.
Zhao Huaming, mayor of Yingkou, said the port city was
developing its coastal industrial base on 120 square kilometers of
barren seashore.
Dandong, the port city adjacent to the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea, wants to enhance its capability to ship
international cargo.
Jinzhou wants to attract investment to its largely
petro-chemical and equipment manufacturing industrial zones.
And Huludao wants to build large ships.
"(The coastal areas') development will definitely facilitate the
exports of Shenyang," Chen Zhenggao, Party secretary of Shenyang,
said.
(China Daily March 7, 2007)