The Quanzhou Taiwanese Investment Zone reaped a bumper harvest in 2019. Over the past year, the zone has focused on creating a cross-strait cooperation advance zone and a sub-center in Quanzhou.

It realized a regional GDP growth of 8.2 percent, and achieved general public budget revenue of 2 billion yuan ($288 million), an increase of 15.7 percent. 

The local government has focused on optimizing and upgrading traditional pillar industries such as textile, shoes and apparel, paper production, while implementing a number of smart manufacturing demonstration projects to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries.

The five emerging industries including green intelligent transportation equipment, high-end equipment manufacturing, cultural tourism services, medical health, and new materials, have been strongly supported in the zone. 

A number of 90 innovation projects initiated in the area have been included in the provincial and municipal level key technological transformation projects. 

Also, to strengthen scientific and technological innovation, two scientific and technological service platforms were launched -- the Joint Engineering Research Center for Motor Drive and Power Electronics and the Key Laboratory of Complex Dynamic Systems Only Identification and Control. 

Steady progress has also been made in reducing taxes and fees and public services. In 2019, enterprises in the region enjoyed a tax reduction of 215 million yuan, and a social insurance fee reduction of 12.5 million yuan. 

Official statistics show that in 2019, the area realized an industrial added value of 19.8 billion yuan, an increase of 8.3 percent year-on-year. Over 160 enterprises with annual output values exceeding 100 million have gathered in the 25 local industries. 

The local pillar industries achieved an industrial output value of 59.559 billion yuan, accounting for 90.4 percent of the total in the region. 

A number of major projects have been launched in the zone, including the Quanzhou Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research Institute, Dongfeng Heavy Industry Co Ltd, and CITIC Heavy Industry Intelligent Equipment Industrial Base. 

The 2019 Maker China Emerging Industry SME Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition sponsored by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology was hosted at the zone, introducing a number of high-quality projects to local industries.

By encouraging enterprises to take parts in domestic and overseas exhibitions such as the China International Import Expo, the district government introduced an investment of 12.82 billion yuan. 

Quanzhou Taiwanese Investment Zone initiated 119 key construction projects covering five major areas, including industrial technology, urban construction, environmental protection, and business services, which completed an investment of 23 billion yuan. 

In 2019, the district completed a total of 1350 housing expropriation contracts with a contracted area of 553,000 square meters. Seven resettlement communities housing 1179 households have been established. 

The region also speed up its urban construction. Twenty-seven projects with a cumulative investment of 4.58 billion yuan have started construction. The total volume and scale of the region's infrastructure construction ranked first in Quanzhou. 

The newly-built Quanzhou Houzhu Bridge has been opened to traffic, shortening the distance between the district and downtown area. 

Last year, the Maritime Silk Road Ecological Park was opened to the public. The ecological park, with a total area of 4,624.45 acres, adheres to the government’s development concept of “serving the city, serving the people”, becoming a new leisure resort for Quanzhou people. 

The concept of "building a city for the people" in the district has been applied in local urban construction. The resettlement communities have been built into high-quality residential areas. 

In recent years, modern resettlement communities have continuously emerged in the district, reshaping the city’s image. 

And in order to improve the living environment, the district government has cleared out 14 illegal farming and reclamation in Quanzhou Bay Hekou Wetland Nature Reserve, and carried out 24 sewage treatment projects, with a total investment of 94.74 million yuan. 

A pilot program for the classification of domestic garbage has been promoted, and 36 public toilets were newly built in the region. 

Among the top ten measures to optimize the business environment of Quanzhou proposed at the 2019 Quanzhou Economic Annual Conference, the intelligent online intermediary supermarket and the industrial project construction project approved by the District Administration Service Center have received recognition from the public. 

The district has continued to deepen the reform of the process of administrative examination and approval. It first introduced the centralized approval mode of the administrative commission in the administrative service center for industrial projects. 

More simple and convenient services are now offered in government service halls. People need to submit a set of materials and fill out an application form at one service window, and their applications will be approved 159 working days ahead of the original date.

The newly-built Quanzhou Houzhu Bridge is opened to traffic, shortening the distance between the Taiwanese Investment Zone and downtown area of Quanzhou. [Photo/qztsnews.com]

Staff work at a Taiwanese-funded enterprise in the Taiwanese Investment Zone in Quanzhou. [Photo/qztsnews.com]