Home » City specials » Qingdao
Plan to boost city's vitality
By Fei Lai |
April 5, 2011, Tuesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
PROPOSALS made in the 12th Five-Year Plan look set to transform Qingdao into a thriving business and tourist destination, while taking measures to protect the environment. Fei Lai looks at the scheme.
In the next five years, Qingdao will shift its orientation from manufacturing to the service industry. By 2015, more than 70 percent of the city's new jobs will be created within the service industry, whose added value will account for 57 percent of the city's total output value.
The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) of Qingdao will bring the city new vitality both to business and to city life.
Wang Haodong, chief of the development and planning department of Qingdao Development and Reform Commission, interpreted the plan to Shanghai Daily by first showcasing the key characteristics.
The plan puts an emphasis on livelihood issues. More goals and measures concern employment, income, housing, education, medical services and social security.
"With less pursuit of GDP goals, the city government is now focusing more on economic growth and puts public welfare at a new height," Wang said.
"Qingdao people will share the fruit of development. The government will raise the income of farmers and reform the huji (residence permit system) policy to encourage the farmers to move to the city."
The plan puts an emphasis on industries which can boost the market. Taking opportunity of the national strategy, the Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone in Qingdao will accelerate the development of its ocean industry and service industry.
The proposal attaches similar importance to ecology and environmental protection. It will build Qingdao as an inhabitable city with a harmonious relationship between humans and nature, with measures on protecting the ocean and ecology.
To ensure the formation of a culture-oriented Qingdao, efforts will be made to raise the city people's living quality.
To ensure rural and urban residents live a better life, with dignity and happiness, an effective mechanism will be developed to deal with disputes and protect people's rights.
Fourteen key construction projects concerning modern agriculture, service industry, strategic emerging industries and social security will be developed. Among them, the construction of a new airport is under consideration. The airport is planned to become a gateway to Qingdao and a regional transport hub. The site of the new airport is not decided yet.
"New airport planning is important to a coastal city like Qingdao. It's good for introducing enterprises and foreign trade to do business here," Wang said.
"Few investors would prefer a place without sound transport and logistic facilities."
Wang said Qingdao would become a hub well-connected to airports in Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, "more international routes will be launched."
While the city government continues to keep an eye on developing Qingdao into an inhabitable city by environmental protection, major efforts will be made to develop industries including finance, logistics, science and technology, information and intermediary services.
It aims to improve the interaction between the service industry and the manufacturing industry.
To improve people's living quality and promote consumption, the city government will also spare no effort to develop tourism, trade, real estate and housekeeping services.
The same emphasis will be put on emerging services including the headquarters economy, outsourcing, the creative industry and the exhibition economy.
In the next five years, 500 city-level key projects within the service industry, which reaches a total investment of 600 billion yuan (US$91.63 billion), will be promoted by the local government. Great support will be given to leading enterprises within the service industry.
Adjustments on taxation and prices for land, water and natural gas will be made to create a better business environment for the industry.
Similar measures will be implemented to support small and medium-sized companies. It is a way to support urban and rural residents to start businesses, in order to expand the scale of private-owned economy.
? Financial Industry
By the end of 2010, the city's total deposits in RMB and foreign currency reached 789.55 billion yuan (US$119.63 billion), and the loan balances reached 636.52 billion yuan. During the last five years, they achieved an average annual growth of 22.7 percent and 23.8 percent respectively.
Qingdao was home to 143 financial institutes by the end of last year, among which 44 are banks, 54 securities and futures institutions, and 45 insurances institutions.
The industry has created more than 60,000 jobs and made great contributions to the local taxation - reaching 4.22 billion yuan.
? Tourism Industry
The number of foreign visitors to Qingdao hit 1.08 million last year. The number for domestic visitors reached 43.3 million. Both have increased by 61 percent and 77 percent respectively from the 2005 figures. The total tourism revenue last year reached 58 billion yuan, up 126 percent from 2005.
Tourism has become a major pillar industry for the city. It was listed as one of the World's Most Beautiful Bays by the World Tourism Organization. It has also won titles such as "the best recreational city in China" and "the most energetic tourism city." Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center has become the only demonstration national seaside scenic spot.
By the end of 2010, the city boasted 160 hotels, among which six are five-star and 30 four-star. It also features 344 travel agents and more than 10,000 guides. Scenic spots in Qingdao total 188.
People visiting Qingdao nowadays are doing so for a variety of experiences - holiday, sightseeing, meeting and sports. The time a visitor now spends in Qingdao for each visit has reached 3.6 days, 40 percent longer than a visit in 2005.
In the next five years, Qingdao will shift its orientation from manufacturing to the service industry. By 2015, more than 70 percent of the city's new jobs will be created within the service industry, whose added value will account for 57 percent of the city's total output value.
The 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015) of Qingdao will bring the city new vitality both to business and to city life.
Wang Haodong, chief of the development and planning department of Qingdao Development and Reform Commission, interpreted the plan to Shanghai Daily by first showcasing the key characteristics.
The plan puts an emphasis on livelihood issues. More goals and measures concern employment, income, housing, education, medical services and social security.
"With less pursuit of GDP goals, the city government is now focusing more on economic growth and puts public welfare at a new height," Wang said.
"Qingdao people will share the fruit of development. The government will raise the income of farmers and reform the huji (residence permit system) policy to encourage the farmers to move to the city."
The plan puts an emphasis on industries which can boost the market. Taking opportunity of the national strategy, the Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone in Qingdao will accelerate the development of its ocean industry and service industry.
The proposal attaches similar importance to ecology and environmental protection. It will build Qingdao as an inhabitable city with a harmonious relationship between humans and nature, with measures on protecting the ocean and ecology.
To ensure the formation of a culture-oriented Qingdao, efforts will be made to raise the city people's living quality.
To ensure rural and urban residents live a better life, with dignity and happiness, an effective mechanism will be developed to deal with disputes and protect people's rights.
Fourteen key construction projects concerning modern agriculture, service industry, strategic emerging industries and social security will be developed. Among them, the construction of a new airport is under consideration. The airport is planned to become a gateway to Qingdao and a regional transport hub. The site of the new airport is not decided yet.
"New airport planning is important to a coastal city like Qingdao. It's good for introducing enterprises and foreign trade to do business here," Wang said.
"Few investors would prefer a place without sound transport and logistic facilities."
Wang said Qingdao would become a hub well-connected to airports in Japan and South Korea. Meanwhile, "more international routes will be launched."
While the city government continues to keep an eye on developing Qingdao into an inhabitable city by environmental protection, major efforts will be made to develop industries including finance, logistics, science and technology, information and intermediary services.
It aims to improve the interaction between the service industry and the manufacturing industry.
To improve people's living quality and promote consumption, the city government will also spare no effort to develop tourism, trade, real estate and housekeeping services.
The same emphasis will be put on emerging services including the headquarters economy, outsourcing, the creative industry and the exhibition economy.
In the next five years, 500 city-level key projects within the service industry, which reaches a total investment of 600 billion yuan (US$91.63 billion), will be promoted by the local government. Great support will be given to leading enterprises within the service industry.
Adjustments on taxation and prices for land, water and natural gas will be made to create a better business environment for the industry.
Similar measures will be implemented to support small and medium-sized companies. It is a way to support urban and rural residents to start businesses, in order to expand the scale of private-owned economy.
? Financial Industry
By the end of 2010, the city's total deposits in RMB and foreign currency reached 789.55 billion yuan (US$119.63 billion), and the loan balances reached 636.52 billion yuan. During the last five years, they achieved an average annual growth of 22.7 percent and 23.8 percent respectively.
Qingdao was home to 143 financial institutes by the end of last year, among which 44 are banks, 54 securities and futures institutions, and 45 insurances institutions.
The industry has created more than 60,000 jobs and made great contributions to the local taxation - reaching 4.22 billion yuan.
? Tourism Industry
The number of foreign visitors to Qingdao hit 1.08 million last year. The number for domestic visitors reached 43.3 million. Both have increased by 61 percent and 77 percent respectively from the 2005 figures. The total tourism revenue last year reached 58 billion yuan, up 126 percent from 2005.
Tourism has become a major pillar industry for the city. It was listed as one of the World's Most Beautiful Bays by the World Tourism Organization. It has also won titles such as "the best recreational city in China" and "the most energetic tourism city." Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center has become the only demonstration national seaside scenic spot.
By the end of 2010, the city boasted 160 hotels, among which six are five-star and 30 four-star. It also features 344 travel agents and more than 10,000 guides. Scenic spots in Qingdao total 188.
People visiting Qingdao nowadays are doing so for a variety of experiences - holiday, sightseeing, meeting and sports. The time a visitor now spends in Qingdao for each visit has reached 3.6 days, 40 percent longer than a visit in 2005.
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