Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, June 19, 2003
Hainan Island Attracts Taiwan Investors
Hainan, an island province in southChina, has become an ideal venue of investment to Taiwan investorswith its advantages of cheap labor, rich land resources and vast market potential.
Hainan, an island province in southChina, has become an ideal venue of investment to Taiwan investorswith its advantages of cheap labor, rich land resources and vast market potential.
According to local sources, by late 2002, Hainan was home to 355 Taiwan-financed agricultural businesses which had pumped up aninvestment of 230 million US dollars in real terms into the islandand rented over 13,000 hectares of land. At least 35,000 farmers have found employment in the Taiwan-financed agricultural businesses.
Taiwan investors are mainly engaged in businesses ranging from fruit production, horticulture, marine and fresh-water breeding, recreational villas, to processing service for fish, timber and foodstuffs.
A growing number of Taiwan-financed agricultural businesses haveplayed an exemplary role in Hainan. There are 171 Taiwan-financedseedling farms across the island, which have introduced more than 80 kinds of seedlings with 500 improved varieties.
So far, 64 kinds of seedlings with 142 improved varieties have been successfully propagated in Hainan and have spread to a large area of land, which has in turn contributed to improving local agricultural products.
Hainan, now China's largest special economic zone, used to fallunder the jurisdiction of south China's Guangdong Province. It became a province of its own right in April 1988.