Haikou hi-tech zone signs contracts with three enterprises

Representatives of the Haikou National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone and China International Energy Group sign a cooperation agreement. [Photo/people.cn]

The Haikou National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone signed agreements with three enterprises on May 2, aiming to develop industrial chain enterprises at the 100 billion yuan ($15.72 billion) level. 

The cooperation will help deepen exchanges, introduce high-level projects and talents, enhance service abilities, and assemble industries. Meanwhile, a headquarters economy will be highlighted with policy support of both Hainan province and Haikou city to enhance the high-tech zone's competitiveness and reputation, as well as gradually form a new headquarters economic structure adapted to the modern industrial system. 

The three enterprises are China International Energy Group Co, Ltd, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PwC) and Huaya Holding Co, Ltd. 

According to the agreements, China International Energy will set up a Haikou project company at the industrial development zone. It plans to build a hi-tech industrial development zone and a regional headquarters settlement center to bring in its cooperative partners of world top 500 and branded enterprises to Haikou. 

PwC will also establish a Hainan branch company in the area. It will offer services of auditing and strategy consulting to enterprises in the Haikou hi-tech zone and help attract global investment to facilitate construction of the China (Hainan) Pilot Free Trade Zone. 

As for Huaya Holding, the company plans to found a headquarters settlement center, a new energy innovation R&D center, and an oil and oil products trading platform to integrate production, research, development and transaction of new energy. It will give full play to its resources to attract more new energy enterprises to settle in the Haikou hi-tech development zone.

The representatives of the Haikou National Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone, China International Energy Group, Price Waterhouse Coopers and Huaya Holding [Photo/people.cn]

The signing ceremony is to respond to Hainan province's launching of a 100-day campaign to attract global investment and talents, which is the starting point for the strategy of introducing one million talents to Hainan. 

The move to attract investors and talents is part of the efforts to turn the island into an international pilot free trade zone by 2020 and a free port with Chinese characteristics by 2025, which the central government recently announced as key moves in the country's further opening-up.

Hainan reportedly lacks high quality talents, especially in the key fields, with some estimates predicting that Hainan's key industries will need about 500,000 talents over the next three years while graduates from colleges within the province will only be about 220,000 during this period.

The campaign to introduce investment and talents will accelerate the island's development as a pilot international free trade zone, making the island an important platform to attract global investors, projects, industries, advanced technologies and management experiences, according to local officials. Special housing policies will be part of the measures introduced to attract talents.