An action plan, 50 pilot measures, and three assessment plans were released by Zhuhai during an April 24 press conference, laying out a blueprint for the city's future industrial development.

Zhuhai will accelerate the formulation of a modern industrial development model and its annual industrial output value is estimated to exceed 1 trillion yuan ($153 billion) by 2025, according to Li Congshan, director of the Zhuhai Bureau of Industry & Information Technology, when detailing the action plan.

The city's industrial added value is aimed to account for at least 40 percent of its GDP by 2025, while investment in industrial fixed assets is proposed to make up at least 30 percent of the city's total.

Zhuhai will also strive to cultivate at least 15 more manufacturing enterprises at the 10-billion-yuan ($2-billion) level, while aiming to have at least 50 listed companies and over 4,000 hi-tech companies.

Seventeen specific measures in six aspects, including investment attraction, industrial park improvements, and service procedure optimization, are outlined in the action plan, with several of them being the first of their kinds in Zhuhai.

For example, an "Enterprise Steward" service system will be established, while local projects increasing their original investment or production capacity can enjoy the same treatment as those introduced from outside the city.

Li added that 50 sq km (12,355 acres) in industrial land will be prepared in the next five years, of which at least 7,000 mu (4,666 acres) of prepared construction land plots will be available this year to ensure the launch of major projects. 

Press conference [Photo by Ye Qiuming / Zhuhai Daily]

Wang Lei, director of the Zhuhai Science & Technology Innovation Bureau, noted that the 10 Measures of Promoting Innovation-Driven Industrial Development highlights the close integration of innovation and industries and focuses on addressing the most glaring weaknesses in industrial development.

The 10 measures cover the four aspects of innovation subjects, chains, elements, and ecosystems that involve innovation enterprises, incubation carriers, innovation platforms, R&D expenditure, intellectual property rights, achievement transformation, sci-tech finance, exchanges and cooperation, as well as innovation ecology.

Support will be given to the construction of future technology cities, small- and medium-sized technological enterprises, as well as service institutions. In addition, more subsidies will be given according to the technology trading income, innovation vouchers, and R&D investment of enterprises.

Industrial parks will be encouraged to build public innovation platforms and industrial leading companies will receive support for setting up incubators that address entire industrial chains. Angel funds will be guided to invest in small and innovative enterprises. 

The number of hi-tech companies in Zhuhai has increased from 397 in 2015 to 2,101 in 2020, with an average annual growth rate of more than 39 percent. The Top 100 List of Zhuhai Innovative Enterprise will continue to be released, while local technological enterprises will be further cultivated and supported.

An additional 10 measures on the innovative allocation of natural resources for accelerating industrial development have been stipulated, in which it will be the first time for Zhuhai to strictly control the industrial control red line through legislation, said Jiang Daoping, director of the Zhuhai Natural Resources Bureau.

Zhuhai districts are encouraged to distribute government subsidies that enable districts and State-owned enterprises to build a batch of standard or customized factories, which will be leased to companies for direct operation at a fee lower than market prices.

Liu Gaolu of the Zhuhai Investment Attraction Office detailed 10 measures on improving Zhuhai's investment attraction efficiency at the press conference.  

The city will establish cooperation partnerships in coordinated investment attraction with Zhuhai Foundation and three local major State-owned enterprises, namely Gree Group, Zhuhai Huafa Group, and Da Heng Qin. Real industry development companies will be jointly set up by local district governments and State-owned enterprises under the jurisdiction of the municipal government. Cooperation in areas like industrial park construction and enterprise service will be carried out.

Investment attraction departments in other cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chengdu will be set up to attract more investment from the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, Yangtze River Delta, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as Southwest China. 

According to Li Tengdong of the Organization Department of the CPC Zhuhai Municipal Committee, 10 measures will be implemented to accelerate the agglomeration of industrial innovation talents. For instance, over 90 percent of funds and projects in the municipal talent programs will go to key industries in the city. In addition, four talent teams, each formed by industrial leading, technical, and young talents as well as innovation and entrepreneurship teams, will be set up.

The measures also pay attention to the most pressing issues for talents, such as financial support, housing, children's education, and medical insurance, striving to attract and retain talents. A dedicated service guarantee system, including a one-stop service counter for international talents, will be available for urgently-needed talents to handle government service affairs in education, medicine, living, visas, and taxation with more convenience. 

In addition, 10 measures on speeding up working procedures of Zhuhai government were introduced, which will provide one-stop services for enterprises. In addition, 80 percent of administrative licensing matters can be handled without presenting all the materials required by the government.