Targeted investment expedites new energy industry in Guigang

Guangxi Hope Automobile Co., Ltd., located in Guigang city, SW China’s Guangxi, specializes in the R&D, manufacturing, and sales of new energy buses. (Photo/Tanja Herko)

In early winter, a stream of colorful buses shuttle back and forth through the streets of Guigang city, southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. They are all new energy buses produced by Guangxi Hope Automobile Co., Ltd., a company focused on the development and manufacturing of the new energy vehicles in Guigang.

Guangxi Hope Automobile Co., Ltd. specializes in the R&D, manufacturing, and sales of new energy buses, with a total investment of 8 billion yuan. The first Hope bus rolled off the production line only nine months after construction started in April 2017.

Li Jifeng, Deputy Director from the Investment Promotion Bureau of Guigang, receives an interview with People's Daily Online. (Photo/Tanja Herko)

"Hope Automobile only took nine months to produce the first bus, setting a record for 'Guigang speed', " said Li Jifeng, Deputy Director from the Investment Promotion Bureau of Guigang. A few years ago, Guigang still hadn't produced a single tire. So how was the city able to successfully introduce such an automobile manufacturer? In Li's view, this could not have been achieved without Guigang's strategy of targeted investment and its sound business environment.

Photo shows new energy buses in assembly lines at Guangxi Hope Automobile Co., Ltd. in Guigang, SW China’s Guangxi. (Photo/Tanja Herko)

In recent years, Guigang has been developing targeted investment strategies, focusing on the "three emerging industries" of new energy vehicles and electric vehicles (EV), electronic information, and biomedicine, and upgrading the "five traditional industries" of building materials, metallurgy, sugar paper, sheet material, and electricity.

At the same time, Guigang continues to optimize its business environment. In 2017 and 2018, Guigang ranked first in the whole region of Guangxi in terms of enterprise investment satisfaction, and was also awarded as one of the "top 10 cities of the best business environment in China" in 2018.

Photo shows new energy buses in assembly lines at Guangxi Hope Automobile Co., Ltd. in Guigang, SW China’s Guangxi. (Photo/Tanja Herko)

According to Li, the city also boasts distinctive natural advantages to develop a new energy vehicle industry. Guigang is located in the central region of Guangxi, home to over 20 million people, and is also a strategic point connecting ASEAN countries. This coastal city, noted Li, is making use of its geographical advantages to lay out a new energy automobile industry facing ASEAN, aimed at becoming the second-largest automobile production base in Guangxi and the new China-ASEAN energy electric vehicle production base.

Workers assembly new energy buses at a factory of Guangxi Hope Automobile Co., Ltd. (Photo/Tanja Herko)

With the success of Hope Automobile, Guigang's new-energy automobile industry is taking shape. Several automobile enterprises have settled in the city, and an array of new energy automobile projects have been launched. At present, Guigang has introduced four automobile manufacturers and over 80 EV companies. By 2025, the annual production capacity of new energy automobiles is expected to reach one million, with an output value of 200 billion yuan ($28.4 billion).

In the future, Guigang will continue to attract targeted investment and build a more conducive business environment to help the region's new energy industry thrive, said Li.