City blueprint for 'going smarter'

The city government of Foshan is increasing efforts in attracting investment to help manufacturing industries "go smarter", according to a local official.

The government has put the focus on advanced equipment manufacturing and modern service industries, said Zhou Zhitong, chief of the local bureau of commerce.

"We aim to strengthen such sectors with new investment so we will have bountiful sources to sustain the future growth of our manufacturing industries," Zhou said.

The official said that his bureau will contact potential investors worldwide and approach industry leaders based on thorough feasibility studies.

The city will launch several promotional campaigns at home and abroad to make its competitive investment climate and business opportunities better known among its potential investors.

To aid in attracting investment, Zhou said Foshan will continue to improve its major facilities including the Statelevel Foshan High-Tech Zone, the Sino-German Industrial Services Zone and the Guangdong High-Tech Service Zone for Financial Institutions, as well as several other industrial zones and parks for smart manufacturing, new light industry and new materials.

The facilities are expected to better accommodate advanced projects and high-quality human resources nationwide and worldwide.

Analysts said that today's Foshan has many aces to play that can win the hearts of investors.

They said the city's livability, modern public facilities, a business climate that welcomes international practices and the complete industrial chains make it an alluring destination.

Only about 20 kilometers from downtown Guangzhou, Foshan residents have easy access to public facilities in Guangzhou and other Pearl River Delta cities through the Guangzhou-Foshan metro line, the first intercity metro in China.

As one of China's pilot cities for administrative approval reforms, investors in Foshan can enjoy the simplest and quickest administrative procedures in the nation, made even more convenient by service from foreign professionals, they added.

The Foshan bureau of commerce is the first if not only government department in China that has hired foreign professionals on its staff.

And Foshan has developed an unprecedented array of industry chains thanks to the city's legacy as an historical industrial boomtown and its strategy of seeking investment in building, supplementing and consolidating industrial chains in recent years.

The industry chains range from machinery and equipment to household appliances, porcelain, building materials, metal processing, textiles and garments, electronics and IT as well as food and beverages, refined chemicals and medicine, household goods, optoelectronics, environmental protection, new materials, new medicines and new-energy vehicles.

The latest official statistics show that 98 of the foreignfunded projects launched in 2014 involved capital input of at least $10 million each with their total investment hitting $8.29 billion.

zhanlisheng@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 03/10/2015 page15)