Editor’s note:
Qu Ruixue is the executive vice director of Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Shanghai Office. Shanghai Daily reporter Li Xinran interviewed her on the 30th anniversary of TEDA — one of China’s leading economic development zones.

Q: Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) was established in December 1984 on a barren area of coastline. How would you describe the progress over the past 30 years?

A: In the 1980s we only had labor-intensive workshops producing items like disposable plastic lighters. Now we have Tianhe No. 1 — one of the world’s fastest supercomputers — and the base to produce the next generation of space rockets, including the Long March 5.

In 2013, TEDA had 3,755 small and medium-sized high-tech enterprises. Operation revenue for science and technology enterprises in TEDA reached 167.7 billion yuan (US$26.9 billion) last year, accounting for 14.8 percent for all companies in TEDA. We had nearly 4,600 sci-tech enterprises by November.

I’d say we’re now technology-intensive and have witnessed even more rapid growth this year.

TEDA started with just 33 square kilometers of land worth 3 million yuan in December 1984, but its GDP surpassed 250 billion yuan last year and our industrial output was around 800 billion yuan.

TEDA is a big family with 14,000 companies which employ 560,000 people. We have introduced 1,223 projects, each with investment of more than US$10 million in the past 30 years. A total of 89 Global Fortune 500 companies have 230 projects in TEDA. Now we are home to three enterprises worth 50 billion yuan, 17 valued at 10 billion yuan, 100 enterprises worth a billion yuan, plus 289 others each with total assets of more than 100 million yuan.

Q: What do you think about the roles Tianjin’s Binhai New Area, Shanghai’s Pudong New Area and Guangdong’s Shenzhen have played in China’s regional economy and the country’s overall economic development?

A: They’ve played different roles at different times. Shenzhen is China’s first and one of the most successful economic zones. The city found success with its labor-intensive business model and tertiary industries.

The miracle of Shenzhen started in the 1980s when our leaders found that a bolder approach could be taken to reform. Opening up Shanghai’s Pudong New Area carried out this mission in the 1990s. The development and opening-up of Pudong established the Yangze River Delta region’s status.

Now we are in the 21st century, and it’s time for the development of Bohai economic circle. Binhai New Area could be the engine for a new round of development.

As a new growth area, Binhai is intended to be a base for China’s advanced industrial and financial reform and innovation. Experimental reforms are taking place here. We’re at one end of the Asia-Europe continental bridge and Tianjin is a port city and gateway to the integrated Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.

Liaoning and Shandong provinces are two strong “wings” — much like Jiangsu and Zhejiang with Shanghai.

The Pearl River Delta, the Yangtze River Delta and the Bohai Bay are three powerful engines driving China forward.

In my mind, China’s special economic and development zones are the epitome of our era and barometer of our country’s economy in the past 30 years.

We are now heading toward a new decade. China’s new development goals and aspirations are clear and it’s time for us to be ready to achieve these.

Q: What is TEDA’s strategy for its tertiary industries and modern services?

A: Traditionally, the pillars of TEDA have been the electronics and telecommunications industry, the food and beverage industry, machinery manufacturing and auto manufacturing. But we have increased our offerings to include petrochemicals, aerospace, biopharmaceuticals, new-energy materials and financial services.

Because of our location at Tianjin Port on Bohai Bay, we provide a window to northern China, with proximity to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and northeast China as well as a transport network of high-speed trains and highways.

We’ve been developing our modern services and see opportunities in the mobile Internet, cloud computing and the Internet of Things. Global IT giants and domestic leading IT companies have invested heavily in TEDA in cloud computing, mobile video and online classified advertising. Modern services now account for 23 percent of TEDA’s economy.

The operating revenue of tertiary industries in TEDA reached 322.4 billion yuan last year — up 7.6 percent from a year ago. The finance industry accounted for around 10 percent of this.

We are working with the People’s Bank of China, the China Insurance Regulatory Commission, the China Securities Regulatory Commission, the China Banking Regulatory Commission, Tianjin city government and Binhai New Area government to delegate authority to approve part of financial products and services to local regulatory agencies from the central government. This will speed up the formation of a modern financial services system.

Q: We know that TEDA has attracted a lot of talented people over the years. What is its philosophy for human resources?

A: Human resources are the most precious thing for TEDA. We need all kinds of professionals. We have a whole set of preferential policies to attract talent. These include everything from housing subsidies, social insurance coverage, medical care and training programs, to concerts, art exhibitions and the TEDA color run.

Q: We know that TEDA has attracted a lot of foreign investment and that a lot of overseas enterprises have set up Chinese subsidiaries, R&D centers or even Chinese headquarters in TEDA. Can you tell us a little about life for expats in TEDA?

A: Many expats live and work in TEDA today and we believe we’ve done a good job making them feel at home. We provide guidelines in different languages about living in TEDA. These include medical services, what to do in emergencies, education, procedures for entry and exit, and information on pet shops. We’ve also built leisure and entertainment facilities such as a golf club and a business center.