Central China's Hubei Province will turn its economic development zones into major exporting centers. By the year of 2010, the total amount of foreign direct investment in these economic development zones will be well over 60 percent of foreign direct investment in Hubei province. Exports will account for half of the province's total exports.

Hubei has built 28 economic development zones with 1,107 businesses, involving 2.8 billion US dollars worth of overseas investment in these zones.

High-tech exports and new commodities in fiber-optic telecommunications, medicine, chemical industry and bio-engineering have all risen rapidly since early 1997 earning some 70 million US dollars in exports.

Hubei has a veritable army of qualified scientific and technological personnel. In Wuhan, the provincial capital, there are more than 30 institutions of higher learning and several thousands scientific research organizations.