Sep 8 2015
On September 6th, Sichuan province convened a conference, announcing the official start of building the first national innovation demonstration zone of West China in Chengdu Hi-tech Zone (CDHT). Along with the strategies of "Belt & Road" and "innovation-driven" economy, a new opportunity is unveiling for the west.
"The economic growth pattern of innovation-driven has been a universal choice," said Wan Gang, vice-chairman of CPPCC, minister of Science & Technology of China. "CDHT National Innovation Demonstration Zone is the first in west China and also a new mission of Sichuan given by Party Central Committee and State Council," said Wan in the conference.
Located in West China, Chengdu plays a geopolitically important role in China's "Belt & Road" strategy. CDHT, as one of most recognized national industrial development zones, has attracted thousands of technical corporations. The industries of IT and bio-pharmaceuticals in the zone are blended into the global market. According to statistics from Ministry of Science & Technology of China, CDHT ranks the third with its capability of innovation among all the state-level high-tech zones.
CDHT has attracted over 1,000 foreign companies in which of those are 104 Fortune Global 500 companies. International corporations such as Intel, TI, Dell, Phillips, Siemens, have all set up manufacturing bases there. There is now a Chengdu - Poland high-speed train that connects the city to Europe. CDHT also maintains close partnerships with 27 EU members, 56 European universities, industrial clusters and governmental organizations, bridged by EU Project Innovation Centre (Chengdu).
National Innovation Demonstration Zone is approved by China's State Council, demonstrating the pilot experiment in independent scientific and technological innovation and high-tech development. CDHT will comprehensively enjoy over 10 beneficial policies including some tax preferences. "Related departments of the State Council, provincial government of Sichuan should give positive support in the arrangement of important projects, the pilot experiment of policies, the innovation of systems and mechanisms, and set up a mechanism of collaborative functioning, and to open up a new dimension of Chengdu Hi-tech Zone," as issued by the State Council, as of June 11.
According to the plan, CDHT is targeting to realize an overall output of 1.5 trillion yuan, by 2025, to attract 20,000 technical companies and integrate 3-5 new 100 billion-level industrial clusters.