REGIONAL> Development
Jilin makes moves to drive growth
By Liu Mingtai (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-12-19 08:00

 Jilin makes moves to drive growth

As Christmas approaches, Huatian Hotel in Changchun is staging a series of promotional activities to attract more customers and to overcome difficulties caused by the global financial crisis.

Investment promotion

The city of Jilin is promoting further investment in part through creating a better business climate for enterprises.

In October, Jilin Mayor Zhang Xiaopei headed a delegation to China's southern and eastern coastal regions to meet potential investors in tourism, electronic information, pharmaceuticals and food processing. In 10 days the city's enterprises signed 19 agreements worth 5.13 billion yuan with partners in those regions.

Zhou Huachen, the city's Party secretary, also headed a delegation that visited Singapore to promote investment, which resulted in agreements for several large projects.

To create a better business environment, the city government recently formulated new preferential policies that include a wide range of tax incentives.

In Songyuan, a city in west Jilin, 77 large projects, each with an investment of more than 100 million yuan, began this year that are expected to help Songyuan enhance its economic strength.

Its Hadashan Water Control Project that requires total investment of 3.25 billion yuan is the largest water control project in the past half century in the province.

With a large reservoir on the Songhua River and several diversion canals, the project is expected to eliminate water shortages in Songyuan and the west Jilin region upon its completion in 2010.

The Songyuan Bridge over the Songhua River and several expressways and railways are also under construction in the city.

During the first 10 months of this year, the city's fixed-asset investment totaled 29.9 billion yuan.

In the city of Baishan in east Jilin measures taken to drive growth include implementation of 191 projects to improve people's livelihood and strengthen industries that have known advantages.

Projects range from construction of roads, sewage treatment facilities, water supplies and tourism amenities to affordable houses for low-income families.

In Tonghua, a city in southeast Jilin, the local government is offering financial assistance to important enterprises to help them overcome difficulties caused by the global financial crisis.

This year, the city government assisted 26 enterprises applying for loans totaling 1.18 billion yuan.

In addition, construction on 30 large infrastructure projects began in Tonghua this year that will require total investment of 1.86 billion yuan.