High Technology Decides Future of China's SEZs

Fast expansion of the high-tech industry and increased competitiveness in science and technology will be effective ways for China's special economic zones (SEZs) to maintain sustainable development and to adapt to global trends of the new economy in the coming century.

Chinese and foreign specialists attending a high-tech forum during the second China international high-tech fair in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, said that China's SEZs would continue to maintain strong vitality from the development of the high-tech industry.

China has five special economic zones in Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Xiamen, Shantou, and Hainan, respectively. Incentive policies are also introduced in Pudong New District of Shanghai to encourage faster economic growth.

In these areas, it has become clear that local economic development is dominated by high technology and science. Experts predict that in the new century, the high-tech industry will receive a big boost in the country's SEZs.

The 400-square-meter Shenzhen exhibition hall at the high-tech fair is furnished with promotional brochures and charts.

During the high-tech fair, which ended today, Dawn Net, a local online company in Shenzhen, signed contracts worth 500 million yuan (60.2 million U.S. dollars) in just one day.

Deng Yifeng, chairman of the board and general manager of the company, was overjoyed at the achievement. "The world needs to have a new study of Chinese network companies," said Deng, adding that the high-tech fair and SEZs will always boost the transformation of scientific and technological achievements into commodities and the mass production of core products.

According to Mayor Yu Youjun, Shenzhen has been concentrating on adjusting industrial structure and upgrading products in recent years. This effort has resulted in the establishment of a scientific and technological development structure with enterprises as the main players and supported by universities and research institutes. The high-tech industry has become the leading economic powerhouse and a pillar industry of the city.

Shenzhen is now China's largest industrialized base of information technology. Last year, Shenzhen topped major Chinese cities for turning out high-tech products worth 81.98 billion yuan

(nearly 10 billion U.S. dollars), which accounted for 40.5 percent of the city's total industrial output value.

An increasing number of domestic and overseas high-tech researchers have come to Shenzhen to start up businesses since it became a special economic zone 20 years ago, making it home to tens of hundreds of companies specializing in high-tech business.

There are 1,500 factories producing computer components in Shenzhen. Thirty-six out of the world's top 500 companies and 150 large multinationals have set up high-tech businesses in the city.

Dozens of China's state-level research institutions and major universities have headed down south to open research centers and bases that combine production, training and research.

The establishment of the Shenzhen International High-Tech Properties Exchange, and the promulgation of a number of regulations regarding development of the high-tech industry will further accelerate the transformation and trading of high-tech achievements and will help bridge Shenzhen with the international venture capital market, said experts.

According to experts, China's SEZs, which play an important role in national economic development have developed their respective modes of economic development. The SEZs have all

treated the development of the high-tech industry as a common goal and have set an example for the national drive to "rejuvenate the motherland by relying on science and education."

Zhuhai has decided on the development of software and biological industries as the dominant businesses to foster a new economic powerhouse. This year, it is expected that the city will have a 30-percent growth in the two industries, far exceeding the 10-percent growth rate of the city's gross domestic product (GDP).

Shantou has been blessed with the transformation of several hundreds of scientific and technological achievements annually into real productivity. A group of high-tech commodities produced in the city have promoted the development and upgrading of Shantou 's manufacturing industry.

Xiamen has worked out a range of policies to support the development of the high-tech industry. The city has invested heavily to encourage the development of 150 kinds of high-tech products.

Wide application of high and new technologies have helped Hainan make full use of its marine resources and tropical weather to develop the local economy. High-efficiency tropical agriculture, maritime biology and seawater breeding, as well as processing of aquatic products, have become new economic growth points in Hainan.

In Pudong New District of Shanghai, high-tech production has made up 43 percent of the area's GDP.

Experts believe that as long as the SEZs are firm with their policies to rejuvenate the motherland by reliance on science and education, increase investment in science and technology development and personnel training, they will surely achieve faster expansion in the high-tech industry and create more economic miracles.



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