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January 9, 2017

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Home » District » Pudong

The future is in innovation

By Li Xinran | January 9, 2017, Monday | Print Edition

PUDONG will pursue an innovation-driven, much more balanced, green and high-quality economy in the new year, government officials say.

These sustainable development goals kick off the second year of the 13th five-year plan.

This year, the focus is on innovation, quality and efficiency — replacing investment speed and scale to play lead roles in Pudong’s development.

And the government will no longer be the only player in guiding the economy. The community will play a much more active role.

Highlights of the year will be the further development of the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone, the science technology innovation center, structural reform of the supply side, the “Four Centers,” and the integrated development of urban and rural areas as well as the comprehensive improvement of the regional environment.

Weng Zuliang, Party secretary of Pudong, said the area’s two national strategic tasks are building the Shanghai FTZ and the science technology innovation center.

“To adapt to the changes and realize new breakthroughs, we need to think more about the transformation of the development model,” Weng said.

He also pointed out that the fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee put forward five development ideas of “innovation, coordination, green development, opening-up and sharing.”

Weng says Pudong faces both opportunities and challenges. The challenges include limited land, a fragile environment and the widening gap between the demand and supply of housing, education and healthcare.

“Our tasks for the next stage are to improve the quality and efficiency of economic development, let urban development be more sustainable and livable and to lead the way in the transformation,” Weng said.

After more than two decades of development, Pudong is standing at a historical starting point to be a forerunner in leading the reform and opening-up of Shanghai and serving the broader national strategy.

The Shanghai FTZ in Pudong has carried out more than 100 institutional innovations, including creating a “negative list” specifying investment sectors that are off-limits to foreign investors, and allowing foreign firms to operate under the same investment rules as domestic ones.

Replicating these successes nationwide will greatly benefit foreign businesses, officials say.

Pudong’s Science and Technology Development Fund also chipped in 1.39 billion yuan (US$200 million) to support more than 10,000 projects in the construction of the science technology innovation center.

And companies in Pudong have enjoyed about 80 billion yuan in tax deductions, including for research and development.

At present, Pudong has 1,510 high-tech enterprises and 527 research and development institutions. Regional output reached 860 billion yuan last year, an average growth of 9.3 percent year on year.

The added value of tertiary industry accounts for 75 percent of the new area’s economy.

Pudong is enhancing its capability to allocate global resources. The capital market and futures market of Pudong are among the largest worldwide.

The added value of Pudong’s financial industry is half of the city’s total and accounts for 27 percent of the new area’s economy.

Pudong also has the largest container in the world. And 90 multinational conglomerates have set up their regional headquarters here in the past five years.

Pudong’s infrastructure has been significantly improved at the same time and is constantly developing. The construction of the Yangshan Deep Sea Port is underway and the Pudong section of the Middle Ring Roads, the second phase of Metro Line 11 and the Disneyland station have come on line.

Pudong also added 750 hectares of parks. Around 36 percent of the new area is now green space.

The rural renewal project has benefited more than 200,000 families and Pudong authorities have invested 187.3 billion yuan to improve locals’ livelihoods, creating 750,000 jobs and 12.33 million square meters of housing space for almost 400,000 people.

Pudong has spent billions of yuan annually in healthcare and sports facilities in recent years. It has six stadiums and other sports complexes within 30 minutes’ walk for any resident.

Pudong also built 64 new primary and secondary schools over the past five years to bring the total to 635.

The number of students and schools in the new area tops the city.

Meanwhile, at each of the 1,181 neighborhood or villages in Pudong there is a cultural center to provide locals diversified cultural services.

Pudong


 

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