China Daily Global Edition (USA)
Xiang’an offers attractions
Xiang’an may have a history of more than 1,700 years, but it is Xiamen’s youngest administrative district.
When Xiang’an became an official part of the coastal city nine years ago, it was weak economically and had a low urbanization level.
But over the years, it has become the heart of Xiamen’s economy with an annual GNP of more than 20 billion yuan ($3.15 billion), topping in eight fiscal segments including fixed-asset investment, government revenue and total foreign trade volume. Xiang’an also records an urbanization rate of more than 50 percent.
In the first half of this year, the district’s fixed-asset investment has totaled 8.2 billion yuan, increased by 62 percent compared to that of the same period last year. Among their investors include private enterprises, State-owned companies and foreign companies.
The district now has 150 projects under construction, 40 of which are newly launched. In the latter half of the year, 48 projects in the Dongshan new town and Neicuo industrial district, with a total investment of 31.8 billion yuan, will start construction.
One of the key factors that has boosted Xiang’an’s economic growth is its proximity to the Taiwan island. Xiang’an is Chinese mainland’s closest spot to Jinmen of Taiwan. If one stands on the Dadeng Baiha reef of Xiang’an, which is only 1,800 meters away from Jinmen, one can actually see Taiwan with naked eyes. The two places are closely linked in terms of dialect and folk customs, and people from both sides are historically related through mixed marriages.
Xiang’an also has the mainland’s only petty commodities trading market with goods from Taiwan. To fully unleash the district’s potential in bridging cross-Straits economic cooperation, the government has designated Xiang’an as the mainland’s first national level demonstration zone for cross-Straits cooperation in new and modern service industry.
To attract investment from Taiwan, the district will enjoy preferential policies and investment incentives in taxation, land and human resources. The target areas of investment include productive service industries such as modern logistics, high-end business and science research, and emerging industries such as information optoelectronics and marine high technology. Projects related to these industries have started construction in September 2011 and are expected to be ready for its soft launch in 2014.
To push ahead with cross-Straits economic cooperation, the city government is planning to build a deepwater port in Xiang’an. The so-called Liuwudian Southern Port, costing an estimated 100 million yuan is more than 95 percent ready.
The 785-meter long coastline of the berth project for bulk goods, which involves a total investment of 1.5 billion yuan, and aims at an annual throughput of 3 million tons, is also coming into shape. By the end of this year when the port construction is completed, the port will serve as the mainland’s link for cross-Straits freight transport.
In addition to its close connection with Taiwan, Xiang’an also enjoys some other advantages that have accelerated its economic growth. One of them is its rich educational resources. This September, the Xiang’an campus of Xiamen University receives more than 10,000 students. Covering an area of 1.1 billion square meters, the Xiang’an campus is even bigger than the headquarters of Xiamen University in downtown Xiamen. Unlike the university’s Zhangzhou campus that only accommodates freshmen and sophomores, Xiang’an campus is home to undergraduates, postgraduates and doctoral students of eight schools including school of life sciences and school of energy research. The campus will also become Xiamen University’s future center for high technology innovation.
With the city’s longest coastline of 75 km, and 39 percent of the city’s total sea area, Xiang’an is also home to marine biological, coastal tourism and wetland resources.
The rare sea animals in Xiang’an listed on the provincial and national level protection lists include lancelet, Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin and Chinese horseshoe crab. Xiang’an is also home to a bunch of other sea products that are sold nationwide such as oysters and prawns. Its oyster oil is sold to Southeast Asia and its tilapia travels to as far as the United States.
To make the best use of these advantages, the city government has attached great importance to infrastructure construction in recent years.
Constructions of the 8-km-long Xiang’an Bridge is underway and will connect the Xiang’an campus of Xiamen University with the future Xiang’an International Airport.
Once ready, it will become a key section in Xiamen’s expressway network. The 5.7-km-long HaicangXiang’an Avenue, which is now under construction, will connect the four districts of Xiamen and then further link them to Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, the other two most economically vital cities in Fujian province.
More importantly, the Xiang’an International Airport is expected to start its construction in 2013 and begin operations in 2019. The airport will cover an area of 17.5 sq km and is expected to have an annual passenger throughput of 30 million person-time in the beginning and 60 million in the long run.
It will be built between the Dadeng Island and Xiaodeng Island. In the future, the Xiaodeng Island is expected to be built into an ecological scenic area that could rival the beauty of Gulangyu Islet, Xiamen’s landmark area.
The enlarged Dadeng island with its upcoming airport will serve as the city’s modern aerotropolis.