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Shopping listsInvestment opportunities are abundant along the entire length of the Yangtze. Cities in the middle and upper reaches, specifically upstream of Nanjing, are largely untapped due to their low international profile and long distance from the coast. There are relatively few overseas investors here, and most are from Hong Kong or Taiwan. However, the industries in the interior are diverse and important to the national economy, and natural resources often plentiful.
Anqing, for example, has a traditional ship repair and building industry in which the local government is trying to revitalise by attracting foreign investment. In Yichang, where the Three Gorges Dam is located and where much of China’s defence research and development capabilities are based, there is a large pool of skilled labour to support military manufacturing facilities many of which have been converted into civilian use. Luzhou, the most westerly port on the Yangtze trunkline, boasts China’s second largest manufacturing capability in engineering machinery, only behind Shanghai. Yet the city is home to just three foreign investors including Terex of the US, which has a joint venture that produces highway mobile cranes. Jingzhou port, just downstream of Yichang, has enjoyed impressive growth in container volumes over recent years and is desperate for shipping lines to increase direct services to and from the port.
Investment destinations
In the current worldwide economic downturn, the low labour and land costs and rapidly improving transport infrastructure are making the Yangtze port cities increasingly attractive investment destinations. Moreover, local governments are competing to offer improved incentives in order to persuade certain industries to relocate from coastal cities. Yichang government, for instance, has recently created a special ‘Shenzhen Industrial Zone’ within its ETDZ for accommodating manufacturers that relocate from Shenzhen.
Compared with any other event, the Yangtze Business Network attracts the greatest concentration of top decision-makers from across the whole Yangtze region, ready to talk and do business. Our 2007 conference involved 13 of the 24 port cities; signs are that even more will participate in April 2009. Already, officials in charge of port, transport and investment zones in Luzhou, Chongqing, Wanzhou, Yichang, Jingzhou, Wuhan, Jiujiang, Anqing, Zhenjiang and Jiangyin have registered their intention to participate. Some have already submitted to the conference lists of government-approved investment projects that are open to foreign participation. They range from specific projects to major industries the cities are keen to attract, develop and expand. Summaries in English can be accessed by clicking the links below, along with more detailed information in Chinese.
In addition to major ports along the Yangtze trunkline, this year’s conference has caught the attention of some relatively small ports such as Wuxue as well as other ports situated on Yangtze tributaries. The tributary ports can be found under the category ‘Others’.
Here is a summary of the lists submitted so far.
Luzhou
Famous for its four pillar industries: distilleries, chemicals, engineering machinery and energy.
1. Luzhou Distillery Development Zone wants to attract liquor production and processing companies and suppliers of related equipment and services such as bottles, casks, packaging materials and logistics. When completed, the zone will be the largest OEM distillery park and biggest liquor production base in China. The total project occupies some 500 hectares, and is expected to be completed within eight years. The first phrase will cover 280 hectares and will require investment of Rmb3.5bn. So far, 29 investment projects are setting up operations in the zone involving a contractual value of Rmb842m.
2. Luzhou Economic Development Zone: a Rmb300m project to develop Phase II and its machinery and electronics sub-zone. Total investment required is Rmb300m, including the construction of infrastructure facilities such as roads and pipelines as well as office and residential buildings.
3. Naxi Chemical Industry Zone: a Rmb850m project to develop a planned 8.5 sq km high-tech industry zone for companies involved in the chemical processing of coal, fine chemicals and logistics. The main requirement is for the construction of infrastructure and utility facilities, including roads, water and drainage, power, gas, communication and environmental protection.
4. Sichuan Hejiang Near-port Industrial Zone: a Rmb5-10bn project to develop a planned area of 18 sq km, including the construction of chemical industry Zone and precision machinery sub-zones.
Click here to see the full list in Chinese.
Chongqing
The Administration of Chongqing Chemical Industrial Park, the largest in the Yangtze’s upper reaches, has submitted a total of 60 projects inviting foreign participation, ranging from warehousing facilities to industrial projects such as a PTA production line with an annual output of 600,000 tons.
Please visit their newly updated website: www.cccip.cn for detailed information on the park.
Click here to see the full list in Chinese.
Wanzhou
The local government has submitted a list of 45 projects open for foreign investment, ranging from agricultural, industrial to port development projects. Examples are:
1. Name of the project: Baiyangping Lemon Processing
Content of the project: importing a fresh lemon processing line with an hourly capacity of 100,000 tons, another lemon condensing and by-product processing line with an hourly capacity of 150,000 tons and other matching facilities including building a refrigerated warehouse with a storage capacity of 2,000 tons.
Investment required: Rmb51m
2. Name of the project: 50,000 ton Animal Protein Feed project
Content of the project: to build a processing centre on a 50-mu piece of land with a 12,800sq.m and purchase 36 units of production equipment
Investment required: Rmb15m
3. Name of the project: 160mw Solar Panels project
Content of the project: to build the plant in two phases first phase with annual production of 60mw solar panels, and second phase with annual output of 100mw solar panels;
Investment required: Rmb1.51bn
4. Name of the project: Lianheba Container Terminal Logistics Park project
Content of the project: to build a distribution centre, a warehouse and supporting office facilities on 800-mu land;
Investment required: Rmb600m
5. Name of the project: Qingcaobei Terminal project
Content of the project: to build eight 3,000dwt berths, 42,000sq.m storage yard, a 8,000sqm warehouse with an annual handling capacity of 3m tons;
Investment required: Rmb260m
Click here to see the full list in Chinese.
Yichang
1. A production line to manufacture non-PVC packaging material for liquid medicines with an annual output of 1,000 tons, expanding to 10,000 tons. Investment required: Rmb18m;
2. A production line to manufacture PP lids with an annual output of 90m units. Investment required: Rmb12m
Click here to see the full list in Chinese.
Jiujiang
1. Name of the project: Production of anti-lock braking system with an annual capability of 150,000 units
Location: the Auto-sub zone in Jiujiang ETDZ
Estimated investment: US$42.2m
Ideal form of investment: solely owned
2. Name of the project: LED production line with an annual capability of 250m auto lights (is that right?)
Location: Export processing sub-zone in Jiujiang ETDZ
Estimated investment: US$18.5m
Ideal form of investment: solely owned or joint venture
3. Name of the project: Production of auto airbags with an annual capacity of 300,000 units
Location: the Auto sub-zone in Jiujiang ETDZ
Estimated investment: US$6.8m
Ideal form of investment: solely owned
4. Name of the project: Production of presensitised copper-clad boards with an annual capacity of 200m sq metres
Location: Guanhu Industrial sub-zone in Jiujiang ETDZ
Estimated investment: Rmb600m
Ideal form of investment: solely owned or joint venture
5. Name of the project: Production of glass fibre with an annual capacity of 20m sq metres
Location: Export processing sub-zone in Jiujiang ETDZ
Estimated investment: Rmb480m
Ideal form of investment: solely owned or joint venture
6. Name of the project: Assembly of polycrystalline silicon solar panels with an annual capacity of 300MW.
Location: Export processing sub-zone in Jiujiang ETDZ
Estimated investment: Rmb400m
Ideal form of investment: solely owned or joint venture
Click here to see the full list in Chinese.
Anqing
1. Shipbuilding centre in Yingjiang district: Rmb500m for Phase I;
2. Shoreline development in Wangjiang county: unspecified;
3. A common-user port terminal in Congyang county: Rmb166m;
4. A deepwater terminal in the Industrial Park in Susong county: Rmb400m
Click here to see the full list in Chinese.
Wuxue (downstream of Wuhan and opposite Jiujiang)
1. Coal mixing centre at Wuxue port: three 3,000 ton berths with a throughput capacity of 1m tons in the short-term, expanding to 3m to 10m tons in the medium- to long-term. Investment required: Rmb65m;
2. Container and bulk terminal: two 5,000 ton berths with an annual handling capacity of 10,000 teu and 300,000 tons, expanding to 30,000-50,000 teu and 500,000-1m tons in the medium- and long-term. Investment required:Rmb80m;
3. The entire Wuxue port is up for sale, with 400 employees and Rmb18m-worth of fixed assets.
Click here to see the full list in Chinese.
Others
Changsha, Hunan province
Qingyang Lake Water Leisure Centre involving four areas for investment: 1. A guest house with a parking area, shopping centre and catering facilities; 2. A leisure centre, including the building of berths and purchasing of boats, and developing entertainment projects such as surfing, fishing and a floating restaurant; 3. Developing the surrounding scenic spots; and 4. Building a holiday villa.
Investment required: Rmb50m
Form of investment: solely owned, JV or Co-op
Click here to see the full list in Chinese.
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