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ON THE HORIZON: Tianjin's Dongli District “Scientific and Technology Road Initiative”
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Tianjin's Dongli District

"Scientific and Technology Road Initiative"

By Richard J. Cook


BT 201602 120 46 On the horizon 001As Tianjin continues with its economic restructuring model, recent developments and government agreements have highlighted a range of new plans for the Dongli District. For those unaware of the vast Dongli District, it sits between the city of Tianjin and the Binhai district. The area is one of Tianjin's major industrial zones, consisting of huge quantities of manufacturing plants as well as heavy industry under the coordination of the Tianjin-Donli Economic Development Area. However, recent Tianjin government plans have orchestrated a shift away from the heavy industry focus in Dongli, with preferences towards high-tech industry instead. Displayed earlier this year and again in the central government's latest Five Year Plan, Hebei is seen as the preferred destination for vast concentrated zones of heavy industry, whereas Tianjin is designated as Northern China's new high-tech capital.


Down with the Chimneystacks and up with the Solar Panels


The plans have spurred on a great deal of interest from Chinese and foreign investors alike. The removal and redistribution of smog producing chimneystacks to Hebei will be a real plus for Tianjin's desirability to claim the title of Northern China's high-tech capital, thus cleaner and more concentrated new green high-tech development zones in Dongli are expected to usher in further domestic and international interest. Already, the area has a strong stake in the auto-parts and chemical industries, with a strong market lean on Beijing and many other northeastern Chinese cities.


A key advantage for the Dongli District as that in its very center situates the Tianjin-Binhai International Airport. The plans announced seem to coordinate a further massive push to bolster the freight industrial capacity of the airport as well as taking advantage of newly developed rail infrastructure in the area. This once tainted area looks also to benefit from government designated green strategies. Numerous green sustainable development commentators are having their say, noting that this vast district between Tianjin City Center and Binhai can muster a whole range of green investment due to some cheap land value figures.


Outline the Plan


The "Scientific and Technology Road Initiative" involves the development of five industrial parks around the Dongli District, as announced by the 16th Dongli District People's Congress 6th Meeting. The plan aims to attract a range of high-tech industries into five newly-designed industrial parks, totaling 8square-kilometres, which will be the focal points of the initiative. The central idea behind the plan is a multiregional educational agreement, arranging key research establishments to work with the distinctive industrial zones, and prioritising each zone with a certain industrial output. It is thought that by intensifying industrial and educational collaboration in this manner, the outcome will be a more suitable environment for ferment innovation. Furthermore, the scheme should allow the seasoning of new recruits, meaning the experience they gain will assist them in entering into the high-end production market sector, ultimately bolstering their desirability in the eyes of employers.


The highlights surrounding the research agreements include the introduction of the Academia Sinica Automation Institute, the Chinese Academy of Electrical Sciences, the Tsinghua High-Tech Equipment Institute, as well as 20 other nationwide research institutes, and over 100 regional-based research and development institutes. In addition to these agreements, 13 workstation service centers will be constructed in order to properly support the intended workforce with their duties, whilst facilitating them with the latest materials needed for the scheme.


According to further government statistics, it is expected that the introduction of these research and development institutions into the Dongli District "Scientific and Technology Road Initiative" will add to the six thousand registered small-and medium-sized enterprises (SME) already involved in the plan. Of these, 1,149 are expected to be immediately upgraded - giving factory buildings face-lifts - in order to attract more research workers to the program, of which 1,700 are said to be already signed up.


On the whole, the general economic performance of the district has been notable and a great success for Tianjin so far. In 2015 industrial output supposedly exceeded 200 billion RMB, which is more than double the industrial output from figures in 2010. Of this, newly-emerging industries accounted for 38.1% of the latest output figures, displaying their recent success. By the end of 2016, it is expected that an extra 30 billion RMB will be added to the industrial output figures if all goes well and the parameters of the plan are stuck to. In order to hit the target, the initiative has also received certain funds to be allocated as grants to attract major high-tech enterprises.


New Life for Dongli District


The truth is, unless you are taking a flight from Tianjin-Binhai International Airport or heading to IKEA for a day out, there really isn't much there that would make you want to go. If you've ever gazed out of the window whilst landing at the airport, you might think your landing on a farm with outstretched segments of highway dotted about. Not a pretty sight. However, the underlying plan coordinates with the recent construction of a range of new towns and residential areas dotted around the Dongli District, totaling around 2.8 million square-meters. Although some are yet to be completed, the plan is to cleanse the tainted area of eyesore structures and illogically positioned developments of the past. The first of these new towns to be completed will be at Junliangcheng, positioned between Metro Line 9 and the S3 highway to Binhai. With the establishment of these new townships as well as the new industrial development zones, the picture looks bright for this once forgotten area.

BT 201602 120 45 On the horizon Screen Shot 2016 01 16 at 12.03.23 PM
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