Jinqiao demonstrates its strategic strengths
THE Shanghai Jinqiao Economic and Technological Development Zone is revving up efforts to develop an industry cluster that features advanced and intelligent manufacturing as it strives to become a demonstration area in fostering industrial upgrade and sustainable growth patterns.
The Jinqiao zone, formerly known as Shanghai Jinqiao Export Processing Zone, is a state-level development zone approved by the State Council, China’s Cabinet, in 1990 with an area of 40.38 square kilometers. In April 2015, Jinqiao was included in the China (Shanghai) Pilot Free Trade Zone.
Jinqiao, which occupies onefiftieth of land in the Pudong New Area, contributes a quarter of the industrial output in Pudong, or one-fifteenth of the total in Shanghai. Jinqiao now has over 13,000 registered enterprises and has attracted a total of US$26 billion in foreign investment, including 105 projects by 52 Fortune 500 companies.
The zone plays a key role in delivering on Shanghai’s ambition to become a global technology innovation center. Many preferential policies with regard to regulatory approval, product supervision, telecommunication licenses and trade settlement have been launched in Jinqiao on a trial basis to lure both Chinese and overseas conglomerates to operate their businesses in the zone.
Jinqiao also has the Biyun International Community, one of the largest multinational communities in Shanghai, which has 19 residential complexes and a resident population of 14,000, including more than 7,400 foreigners.
5G as growth engine
The fifth-generation technology is a trump card for Jinqiao. The year 2019 marks the first year for the commercial use of 5G technology, which is expected to significantly improve connection speeds and enable a variety of Internet-based applications.
Jinqiao is home to a number of leading companies and institutes specializing in 5G, including the Huawei Shanghai Research Center and the Nokia Shanghai Bell. It also boasts the China Mobile Shanghai Industrial Research Institute and the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology East China Center, which set the standards for the country’s information and communications technology industry.
Many well-known multinational companies, such as Merck, Covestro, L’Oreal, Thermo Fisher, SC Johnson, Siemens and Bosch, have set up their R&D and innovation centers in Jinqiao.
Jinqiao is leveraging 5G technology to drive a new round of economic transformation by building the Jinqiao 5G Industrial Park to develop a number of innovative and leading projects in the automotive, smart manufacturing and ultra highdefinition video industries.
Future mobility
5G technology is empowering the automotive industry in Jinqiao, especially with the help of the Huawei Global Innovation Center. Jinqiao is supporting the Huawei Shanghai Research Center to boost the development of a closed-test site for intelligent connected vehicles. As part of efforts to aid the integrated development of new-energy vehicles and smart connected cars, Jinqiao is pressing ahead with open road tests and has started building a regional commercial 5G network. It is also facilitating the development of smart chips for autonomous driving, together with multiple vehicle technologies, including mixed reality technology.
5G is also assisting artificial intelligence to empower industrial upgrading. China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom are leveraging both AI and 5G to serve the leading manufacturers in Jinqiao, including SAIC-GM, Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc and Shanghai Tobacco Machinery Co. Jinqiao is creating a raft of 5G-enabled industrial Internet applications to foster a first-class AI industry chain and develop a new economy of AI.
Additionally, Jinqiao is applying 5G technology in the ultra high-definition video sector by building a 5G-enabled demonstration area that features content providers and a national joint laboratory. It is supporting video industry leader Migu Video to set up the 4K/8K Ultra HD Live Lab, while accelerating the application of cloud-based augmented reality and virtual reality as well as cloud-based games.