FOCUS ON ASEAN MEMB FOR BELT AND ROAD PROG
Zhanjiang, in southwestern Guangdong province, is making efforts to play a bigger role in the Belt and Road Initiative by creating a favorable environment for trade and exchanges between the city and members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
More international flights and container routes are expected to open to facilitate economic and trade cooperation as well as cultural exchanges between the two sides. The city is planning to open flights to Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City.
Relocation of the Zhanjiang airport is currently under way, with a total investment of 4.72 billion yuan ($684 million). The new international airport is expected to come into operation by 2019.
At present, the city’s airport has more than 20 flights to major cities on the Chinese mainland and flights to Hong Kong.
Last year, passenger throughput at the airport reached 1.55 million, growing 29 percent year-on-year.
Zhanjiang is also pushing forward construction of China-Indonesia and China-Thailand industrial parks in a move to create a platform for cooperation with Belt and Road countries and regions.
A coastal city in the southwestern part of Guangdong province, Zhanjiang possesses several advantages in becoming a pioneer in the initiative, city officials said.
It is geographically not far from the ASEAN countries of Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines and is an important gateway to Southeast Asia.
It is also a major transportation and logistics hub in the construction of the upgraded China-ASEAN Free Trade Area.
The city has a solid foundation in technological innovation, with its South China Valley being listed as one of Guangdong’s key high-tech development projects.
The innovation base was established to offer public services, promote technological innovation, commercialization of technological achievements, sharing of resources and e-commerce and serve as an incubator for entrepreneurship.
Because of these factors, Zhanjiang Marine Economy Expo.