A resident experiences GoerTek's virtual reality system at the 11th China Weifang Culture and Art Fair held in Weifang, East China's Shandong provice, in late April. [Photo provided to China Daily]

The Weifang Hi-tech Industrial Development Zone is set to develop into a leading demonstration area in eastern Shandong province, in a bid to replace old economic growth drivers with new ones in 2018.

The high-tech zone has identified 337 key projects and will focus closely on supporting them in the current year. Zone officials estimate the total investment for the raft of projects will top 200 billion yuan ($31.6 billion).

Projects include a smart factory for Chinese high-tech acoustic company GoerTek's wearable products such as VR headsets, an international component distribution center for diesel engine producer Weichai Group and an engine production facility for automaker Foton Motor.

Government officials have been assigned to individual projects in order to solve problems in an effective and efficient manner. Detailed timings and completion times for individual projects are also being set in advance.

The zone believes that new projects are the foundation for promoting its economic upgrade and transformation. Officials say that is why the local government is paying so much attention to supporting the key projects.

One example is Weichai's new energy industrial park.

The blueprints for the construction of the park include one of China's biggest new energy motor production centers and a world-leading hydrogen-power battery production center.

There will also be a commercial vehicle new energy powertrain factory, a cuttingedge new energy forklift plant and a new energy light commercial vehicle production center.

Weichai Group President Tan Xuguang said: "The construction of the new energy industrial park is the key project among all the projects in Shandong province, in its effort to transform from old to new economic development drivers."