Guangdong - Guangzhou Development District

Guangzhou Development District (Including Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone, Guangzhou High-tech Industrial Development Zone, Guangzhou Export Processing Zone and Guangzhou Free Trade Zone)

Facts&Figures (2007)

Source: Statistic Bureau of Guangzhou Development Zone 

Introduction

Guangzhou Development District (Guangzhou DD) is comprised of four state-level development zones: Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone (Guangzhou ETDZ), Guangzhou High-tech Industrial Development Zone (Guangzhou HIDZ), Guangzhou Export Processing Zone (Guangzhou EPZ) and Guangzhou Free Trade Zone (Guangzhou FTZ). Guangzhou DD is the only development district in China that has four kinds of state-level development zones under a single administrative committee.

Guangzhou DD lies 22 km east of Guangzhou - a mere one-hour drive to Hong Kong and Macao. The major cities of the Pearl River Delta are within a 1.5-hour drive from Guangzhou via Guangzhou-Shenzhen National Highway, Guangzhou-Shantou Highway, Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Zhuhai Expressway and Guangzhou-Huizhou Expressway. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is 41 km away from Guangzhou DD. It was one of the top three airports in mainland China in 2007 (in terms of its cargo turnover and passenger throughput). Huangpu New Harbor, with an annual cargo handling capacity of 15 million tons, is located in the West Section of Guangzhou ETDZ.

Guangzhou ETDZ was among the first state-level economic and technological development zones approved by the State Council in 1984. It has a total planned area of 38.6 km² and consists of three sections: the West Section (9.6 km²), the East Section (12 km²), and the Yonghe Economic Zone (a Taiwanese investment zone, 17 km²).

Guangzhou HIDZ was one of the first state-level high-tech industrial development zones established upon the State Council’s approval in 1991. It consists of five parks: Guangzhou Science Park, Tianhe Science and Technology Park, Huanghuagang Science and Technology Park, the Civilian (Private-owned) Science and Technology Park and Nansha Information Technology Park.

Guangzhou FTZ was approved by the State Council in 1992. It is comprised of four main functional parks: the Computer Industry Park, South Auto Import Park, Export Processing Park and International Logistic Park.

Guangzhou EPZ was established in 2000 upon the approval of the State Council. The zone is located in the East Section of Guangzhou ETDZ.

Investment Climate

Guangzhou DD is one of the most developed development zones in China. In 2007, Guangzhou DD’s GDP increased by 20.2% from the year before, totaling RMB 94.8 billion and contributing 13.4% to Guangzhou's GDP. The district has ranked first among all the state-level economic and technological development zones for four consecutive years.

In 2007, Guangzhou DD’s gross industrial output increased by 22.3% year on year, reaching RMB 245.1 billion and accounting for nearly one fourth of Guangzhou's total. Guangzhou DD has established raw chemicals and fine chemicals, electronic and telecommunications products manufacturing, metallurgy and metal products, food and beverages, electrical and mechanical equipment, and automobiles and auto parts as its major industries. The gross industrial output from the six major industries amounted to RMB 200.7 billion within the same year, soaring 20.5% year on year, and accounting for 81.2% of the district's total.

Guangzhou DD has a strong automobile industry base. The Guangzhou Development District Automobile Industry (Trade) Base, located in Guangzhou DD, has attracted 118 automakers and auto parts and accessories makers. In 2007, investments in the base totaled US$1.9 billion. Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Honeywell, Omron, Delphi Packard and other industrial giants have established businesses in the base.

The industrial output from electronic and telecommunications products manufacturing in Guangzhou DD rose 1.9% to RMB 50.7 billion in 2007, accounting for over 60% of Guangzhou’s total. Major enterprises in the district include Ericsson, Sony, Siemens, Motorola and Casio.

The gross industrial output from the raw chemicals and chemical products industry in Guangzhou DD grew 26.5% year on year to RMB 58.6 billion in 2007, accounting for 41.6% of Guangzhou's total. DuPont set up DuPont Surface (Guangzhou) Co. Ltd in 2004. The unit specializes in solid surfaces.

In 2007, Guangzhou DD approved 143 foreign-funded projects, with contractual foreign investments exceeding US$2 billion. The utilized FDI in the district increased by 23.1% year on year to US$927 million, accounting for 27.2% of Guangzhou’s total. By the end of 2007, one hundred Fortune 500 enterprises (such as DuPont, P&G, Dow and ABB) had launched projects in the district.