Firms look to booming district

The Jiulongpo district of Southwest China's Chongqing municipality will continue to improve its investment environment for domestic and foreign companies, local officials have pledged.

"Although attracting investment is not the only aspect of our job, it is the key part," said Peng Zhiyong, Party chief of the district.

Located in Chongqing's downtown area, the district is one of the major industrial hubs of the southwestern Chinese metropolis.

The district, with an area of 432 square kilometers and 1.12 million people, is rich in cultural and historical heritage.

Officials in the district have made it a priority to boost industries such as vehicle production, aluminum processing and machinery production. Meanwhile, the electronics, biomedical and high-end equipment manufacturing industries have also started to boom.

The district has managed to attract major domestic and foreign enterprises to invest in its high-tech zone and industrial parks, including Fortune 500 enterprises like Asus, Yamaha and ABB.

The two major business centers of the district - Yangjiaping and Shiqiaopu - each saw a total sales value of more than 10 billion yuan ($1.58 billion).

The district has made persistent efforts to improve the living environment of its residents, investing heavily in social welfare and public health services.

Over the years, the district has worked to develop an open economy through the establishment of a national high-tech zone and three industrial parks.

Contact the writers at mawei@chinadaily.com.cn and xuwei@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 07/20/2012 page7)