Zhejiang launches plans to boost industries in Yangtze Belt

The Development and Reform Commission of Zhejiang province in September 2017 launched an implementation plan for the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, as a guideline for Zhejiang to complete construction of the economic belt by 2030.

The document said the ideology of ecological development should be strictly adhered to during construction. Zhejiang should position itself to become an ecological civilization construction demonstration zone, an innovation-oriented development zone and a land-and-sea transport hub, as well as an important pole for economic transformation.

A development pattern was outlined in the plan, dividing the province into two  core areas, two belts and three zones. Much emphasis will be put on these areas to boost Zhejiang’s local economy at a more comprehensive level.

The two urban areas of Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang province, and Ningbo, an important port city in the Yangtze River Delta area, will be further developed based on their respective regional and industrial advantages.

Hangzhou will blaze the trail in the development of emerging industries, and thus help other cities in the Yangtze River Economic Belt to transform and upgrade their economic structure.

Ningbo will stand ready to build itself into a world-class modern integrated hub port, an international shipping service base and logistics center.

The Ningbo-Zhoushan-Yiwu logistic belt and the Hangzhou Bay coastal development belt are the two industrial belts that will power the engine of the local logistics industry and bolster communication between Zhejiang and other international cities.

The three ecological zones, namely the Marine Economic Zone, the Zhejiang-Anhui-Fujian-Jiangxi ecological tourism cooperation zone and the Taihu Lake basin management zone, will be constructed with the joint effort of various cities in Zhejiang. The zones will strive to achieve the balance between the economic development and the ecological environment.

In addition, concrete steps will be taken to add fuel to the upgrading of the industrial structure. The development of local information economies will be highlighted in four major cities – Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Jinyi – with the aim of reinforcing an innovation-driven economy.