The Optics Valley Square is a landmark of Optics Valley of China. [Photo/Optics Valley of China]

Central China's Hubei province officially issued the Wuhan-Ezhou-Huanggang-Huangshi development master plan, which has identified eight city clusters, including the Wuhan New City cluster.

Most of the East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC) is included in Wuhan New City.

The Wuhan-Ezhou-Huanggang-Huangshi region is the core area of the Wuhan metropolitan area. In 2021, the permanent resident population of the four cities totaled 23 million, accounting for 68 percent of the metropolitan area, while their GDP accounted for 77 percent of the metropolitan area, and the per capita GDP was 17 percent higher than the Hubei provincial average.

Industrial cooperation within the Wuhan-Ezhou-Huanggang-Huangshi region has been improving in recent years, and a modern industrial system featuring next-generation information technologies, automobile manufacturing, life and health and biotechnologies has taken shape.

In addition, the region has a high concentration of intellectuals, with more academicians than anywhere else in Central China, and booming high-tech industries and strategic emerging sectors sharing a strong development prospect.

According to the master plan, the Ezhou Huahu Airport will be built into a world-class air logistic hub. A comprehensive transport system centered on the airport, Wuhan New City and core areas of the Wuhan-Ezhou-Huanggang-Huangshi region will be established to accelerate the integrated development of the region and build it into an international transport and exchange center as well as a national manufacturing and sci-tech innovation center.