Zhejiang Private Enterprises Make Way AbroadPrivate enterprises in China's eastern province, Zhejiang, have become shining stars in the province's export and foreign investment.Official statistics show that exports by Zhejiang's private sector rose 82.8 percent in the first six months of the year, far higher than the growth registered in other sectors. Exports by Zhejiang's private sector accounted for 22.7 percent of the province's total exports in the said period, and nearly one third of the exports by China's private sector as a whole. With government support, 1,119 private companies in the province have attained independent export and import rights. Many of them have prospered through the export of products of local features and helped boost the local economy. In the border area between the cities of Hangzhou and Tonglu, where the pen-making industry plays a leading role in the local economy, four enterprises have been granted the right for direct export and import. The export of pens has been steadily rising since. In Hongtang, a town near the city of Ningbo, a large number of private razor blade producers have set up shops there. They are producing 4 billion blades a year and have exported their products to dozens of countries. Finding a foreign partner has become a spring board for many private businesses to enter the international market and acquire funds and advanced equipment and management technologies. So far, private firms in Zhejiang have attracted 644 million U. S. dollars in foreign investment. They have also set up 111 overseas representative offices. |
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